have hit back at claims by the national electoral commission that a lack of paper might hinder the timing of the country’s early elections.
The head of the electoral commission, Ruth Brand, made headlines over the weekend with her remarks about the danger of holding the snap election without enough preparation time. Among her fears were that electioneering might clash with Christmas festivities, or Easter, as well as the popular carnival season, when days of street festivals dominate the calendar in western Germany in particular.in a lengthy row about how to fill a hole in the budget.
Brand warned of “unforeseeable risks at all levels, especially at the municipal level” if elections were called with little warning. She urged decision-makers to steer clear of Christmas and the New Year, saying that nobody would be in the mood for electioneering or for listening to politicians’ election bids at that time.
The rightwing opposition Law and Justice party urged Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, “to come to the aid of his German friends”.