Linke on democracy and the state

The Left wants to expand civic education for all age groups and give the state agency for civic education more funding. The hurdles for popular initiatives and referendums are to be lowered. Participation formats such as youth parliaments and citizens' assemblies are to get more support.

The Left wants more civic education for everyone. The state agency for civic education should get more money. Citizens should find it easier to vote on laws themselves. This is called a referendum. Youth parliaments and citizens' assemblies should also get more help.

The Landeszentrale für politische Bildung (LpB, the state agency for civic education) is to receive more funds. Its funding and application rules are to be revised, especially on fee rates and on which training courses qualify for funding. Children's and youth parliaments and citizens' assemblies are to receive stronger support. Lower requirements for popular initiatives and referendums are meant to make direct democracy easier to use.

The Left wants to put programs and initiatives that promote democracy on a secure long-term financial footing. Funded projects are to run for at least two years, and a state democracy promotion law is to be drafted. The party cites the need of associations and initiatives for planning certainty and protection from political interference.

Many associations work for democracy. The Left wants to give them money for the long term. Projects should get money for at least two years. A new state law should set the rules. This helps the associations plan ahead.

Democracy programs are to be protected and secured for the long term. Networks, alliances and specialist bodies such as the regional centers, LOBBI, Bidaya and Exit are to be strengthened. A state democracy promotion law is planned, and the state program "Demokratie und Toleranz gemeinsam stärken" is to be developed further. People who stand up for democracy and human rights are to be effectively protected. Ongoing academic studies on far-right structures and structures that endanger democracy are to be funded.

The Left wants to make the judiciary crisis-proof with more staff and better organization. Justice system employees are to be better protected from threats and attacks, and the independence of courts and prosecutors is to be secured. Hate crime is to be prosecuted consistently.

The Left wants to strengthen courts and prosecutors. They should get more staff. Judges and other staff should be better protected from threats. Politicians should not interfere with courts. Crimes driven by hate should be pursued firmly.

Judges, prosecutors and prison staff are to be better protected against intimidation and hate campaigns. Protection and prevention plans against extremist influence and anti-democratic networks are to be developed further. Programs against radicalization and awareness work in schools, associations and public institutions are to be strengthened. The rule of law is to remain visible in rural areas as well. For hate crime and discriminatory offenses, prevention and victim protection are to be linked.

The Left calls for an institutional separation of state and churches. State payments to the churches are to be phased out step by step, and general labor law, including the right to strike, is to apply fully in church-run institutions. The party wants to keep church asylum.

The Left wants a clearer split between state and church. The state now pays the churches money every year. These payments should end step by step. People who work for a church should be allowed to strike. Church asylum should stay.

Phasing out the state payments is to rest on the constitutional mandate to redeem them and to follow a transparent, fair procedure. Building patronages, meaning state obligations for the upkeep of church buildings, are to be newly regulated as a cultural policy task. Basic rights and employee rights, including the Works Constitution Act, are to apply without restriction at church-run organizations. Religious communities are to remain equally eligible for the state's volunteer and social funding. The party commits to freedom of religion and to protecting believers of all communities.

The Left wants to invest in training, continuing education and working conditions in the justice system and keep courts within reach in cities and rural areas. Digitalization is meant to improve access to justice without shutting anyone out; artificial intelligence must not replace judges.

The Left wants to strengthen the justice system. Courts should stay within reach everywhere in the state. Staff should get better working conditions. Computer programs may help, but they must not make rulings.

Law studies in Greifswald are to be strengthened, and the Left wants to examine bringing a law program back to Rostock. Digital and AI skills, along with training on anti-discrimination, racism and sensitivity to violence, are to become mandatory. Where rural coverage requires it, branch offices of courts are to be considered and lawyer-run advice centers expanded. Electronic files and interfaces with other authorities are to work reliably and in line with data protection. Analog and barrier-free access is always to exist alongside digital services, and IT security is to be built up.

The Left wants to give municipalities more lump-sum funding and more freedom to decide so they can shape infrastructure and social and cultural services themselves. Equal opportunities and participation across the state are to be written into the state constitution.

The Left wants to give towns and villages more money. They should decide for themselves how to spend it. Weak regions should get lasting support. Equal chances for all should be in the state constitution.

Municipalities are to get more leeway on voluntary services as well as on their own business activities and shareholdings. Public services in rural areas are to be protected, and meeting places such as village pubs supported. The Left wants to review administrative structures since the county reform. Structurally weak regions are to receive targeted support, and Vorpommern is to be strengthened through cooperation with Szczecin, Poland and the Baltic Sea region. In local development, renovation and building within existing areas are to take priority over new construction on the outskirts, and participation formats such as the citizens' council on housing are to be developed further.

The Left wants to create a transparency law modeled on Hamburg's that provides for an easily accessible information register. This is meant to lower hurdles and costs for citizens and strengthen trust in democracy.

The Left wants a transparency law. Public offices should put their information into a register on their own. Anyone can read it there. Hamburg already has such a law.

Government information is to be available directly, without anyone having to file a formal request. Parliamentary committees are to meet in public as a rule. At the local level, the Left wants to strengthen public say in projects and planning and expand participation programs, for example in urban planning.