SPD on democracy and the state

The SPD wants to lower the voting age to 16 and write children's rights into the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). According to the platform, young people should have a right to real participation, in politics as well as at school.

Young people should be allowed to vote at 16. Children's rights should be written into the Basic Law. The Basic Law is Germany's most important law. Young people should have more say in politics and at school.

The constitutional amendment is meant to secure the protection, participation and support of children. Young people's involvement in youth welfare committees would be laid down by law, and youth associations and youth parliaments would continue to receive support. In schools, children and teenagers should be able to help decide on school community matters, learning processes and content.

The SPD wants to test laws for effectiveness and practicality before they are passed and to cut bureaucracy together with business, the states and municipalities. Applications would count as approved if an agency misses a deadline. This is meant to make construction and investment projects easier to plan.

The SPD wants less red tape. New laws should be tested first. Offices should handle applications quickly. If an office does not answer in time, the application counts as approved. This helps building projects.

Checks for citizen-friendliness, practicality and digital readiness would be linked and made mandatory in lawmaking; existing laws would be reviewed step by step in the same way. After a government is formed, a summit with business, the states and municipalities is planned to agree on further steps. A few cross-ministry strategies would replace many separate ones. The SPD also wants to examine which ministry tasks and responsibilities can be pooled.

The SPD wants the state to be a model employer that attracts and keeps skilled workers. Flexible working arrangements, further training and fewer fixed-term contracts are meant to help.

The SPD wants the state to be a better employer. Staff should be able to work from home more often. There should be more part-time work and training. Most contracts should have no end date.

Working from home, job sharing and part-time work are to be available across the public sector to better balance work and private life. Targeted training and qualification are meant to make lifelong learning the foundation. Permanent positions should become the norm so that employees have security and prospects.

The SPD wants to promote civic and historical education, give lasting support to civil society initiatives and make citizens' assemblies chosen by lot a permanent feature. Their recommendations would feed into parliamentary debate, while elected institutions would still decide.

The SPD wants to strengthen democracy. Citizens' assemblies should become a fixed part of it. People chosen by lot discuss hard questions there. Parliament still makes the decisions. Groups that work for democracy should get lasting funding.

A Demokratiefördergesetz (democracy promotion act) would secure initiatives funded through programs such as the federal "Demokratie leben!" program. The law on nonprofit status is to be modernized. Schools, out-of-school providers, universities, museums and memorial sites would receive support and adequate funding; the SPD wants to protect their supervisory bodies from far-right influence. The public sector should reflect society's diversity. The party also wants to promote dialogue among religions and protect freedom of belief.