What do the parties in Hamburg say on democracy and the state?

The AfD wants state funding for political and civil society groups to be granted only if recipients pledge in writing to uphold the free democratic basic order. This pledge is to be checked.

Some groups get money from the state of Hamburg. They should first promise in writing to support democracy and the constitution. The state should check this promise. Without it, there is no money.

The AfD wants to terminate Hamburg's 2012 state treaty with Islamic associations. In its view, the treaty's integration goal has failed and some associations are controlled from abroad. The obligations of Islamic communities would then be set out by law.

In 2012, Hamburg signed a treaty with Islamic groups. The AfD wants to end this treaty. It says the treaty did not help integration. It says some groups are run from abroad. A law should later set the duties of these communities.

The AfD wants to restrict the right of environmental associations to file lawsuits. In its view, their suits delay democratic decisions by Hamburg's parliament and senate and give individual interest groups too much influence.

Environmental groups can sue against decisions. The AfD wants to limit this right. It says the lawsuits delay important projects. Parliament and government should be able to act faster.

The AfD rejects political correctness and measures against "hate speech," which it views as disguised censorship. The only limit on free speech should be criminal law.

The AfD wants more free speech. Everyone should be able to say what they think. The AfD sees rules against "hate speech" as censorship. Only criminal law should set a limit.

The AfD wants a rule that no party can be denied use of city-owned or city-funded venues for events. It also wants the Verfassungsschutz (domestic intelligence agency) to stop monitoring legal parties and focus on political violence and terrorism.

All parties should be able to use city rooms. This is for meetings and events. The Verfassungsschutz is a secret service. It should stop watching legal parties. It should focus on violence and terror.

The AfD wants citizens' referendums at the district level to be more binding. The Senate should no longer be able to override them by taking over the decision, but should instead call a citywide referendum when citywide interests are at stake.

People in districts can vote on local issues. Today the city government can overrule them. That should no longer be possible. If there is a conflict, all of Hamburg should vote.

The AfD wants signatures for popular initiatives and petitions for referendums to be collectible digitally as well. Votes and elections, however, should continue to use paper ballots to maintain trust in these processes.

Citizens can start initiatives for a public vote. This needs many signatures. People should be able to sign online too. But elections should stay on paper. That way people can trust elections.

The CDU wants to suspend the city's treaties with the Muslim associations. In its view, only partners that actively stand up for the agreed values and enforce them among their members should hold such treaties.

Hamburg has treaties with Muslim associations. The CDU wants to put these treaties on hold. It says the associations do not follow the shared values enough. Anyone who does not support Israel's right to exist should not be a partner of the city.

The CDU wants to tie public funding to two written declarations: a commitment to the free democratic basic order and one against antisemitism. This is meant to keep public money away from extremist organizers or projects.

Clubs and groups often get money from the state. The CDU wants a new rule for this. The groups should declare in writing that they support democracy. They should also declare that they are against hatred of Jews.

The CDU wants residents and businesses to deal with only one agency per matter and to get as many services as possible online. A Hamburg regulatory control council is meant to help reduce bureaucratic burdens.

The CDU wants to make government offices simpler. Only one office should handle each matter. People should be able to do many things online. A new body should check where there is too much red tape.

The CDU wants to strengthen the district centers in Hamburg's boroughs and simplify applications for neighborhood festivals and similar events. According to the platform, requirements and red tape make such projects too expensive and too burdensome.

The CDU wants to strengthen the centers of the city districts. Neighborhood festivals should be easier to hold. Applications for them should be short and simple. This should also help small clubs and volunteers.

The CDU wants to relieve the administration through fewer and clearer rules and new structures instead of more staff or money. Procedures are to become faster, and companies are to face fewer documentation and reporting duties.

The CDU wants fewer rules for the administration. The rules should also be clearer. Applications should be finished faster, for example for building. Companies should have to write fewer reports. For the CDU, more staff is not the answer.

The CDU wants to make Hamburg a more attractive employer in order to recruit good new staff at all career levels. Collective pay settlements are to apply to civil servants as well, alongside flexible hours, housing for employees and better protection from violence.

The city needs good staff. The CDU wants to make working for the city more attractive. Civil servants should get the same pay raises as other public employees. There should be flexible working hours and housing for employees. The CDU does not accept violence against staff.

The CDU wants the districts to handle administrative tasks close to residents and be reachable both in person and digitally. A mobile citizens' office, enough staff in the service centers and more digital guides are meant to help.

The district offices should be easy for people to reach. The CDU wants a citizens' office that comes to the people. It could stand at the weekly market, for example. The offices should have enough staff. Helpers should support people with digital applications.

The CDU wants more qualified staff in the district offices and better pay for specialists so the districts can compete with the state and federal levels. It also wants to raise the framework allocations to the districts.

The district offices do not have enough staff. The CDU wants to hire more people there. Specialists such as engineers should get more pay. The districts should also get more money for their regular tasks.

The CDU wants the Senate (Hamburg's state government) to be able to take over district decisions only on matters of citywide importance. Agreements with the districts are to come about only with their participation and consent.

The Senate, Hamburg's government, can take over decisions from the districts. The CDU wants to allow this only in a few cases. The issue must then matter for the whole city. The districts should be able to object. Then the Bürgerschaft, Hamburg's parliament, decides.

The Greens want to build joint state and regional planning with the neighboring states. The aim is to coordinate housing policy as well as economic and land development and make them sparing of resources and the climate.

Hamburg works closely with its neighbors. The Greens want to plan together with the neighboring states. This is about housing, the economy, and land. The planning should protect the climate and nature.

The Greens want to pay district office employees better and give the districts more reliable funding. District heads and district assemblies are also to get a stronger role.

The districts take care of life in the neighborhoods. The Greens want to pay the staff there better. The districts should get reliable funding. The heads of the districts should have more weight.

The Greens want to expand public participation in the districts and reach people who rarely use existing formats. In the coming term, a citizens' assembly on education is to be tested and evaluated.

The Greens want more people to have a say. For this, there should be a citizens' assembly. In such an assembly, randomly chosen people discuss a topic. The first one should talk about education.

The Greens advocate letting young people vote in Bundestag elections from age 16. In the party's view, young people know best what is good for them and should be able to take on responsibility early.

The Greens want 16-year-olds to vote in federal elections. They can already vote in other elections. The party says young people should help decide their future.

The Greens want to establish an Enquete commission (a parliamentary commission of inquiry) on societal and social cohesion in the coming term. It is to develop proposals for strengthening cohesion, trust in democracy and social participation in Hamburg.

The Greens want an Enquete commission. That is a working group in parliament with experts. It should find ideas for more cohesion in Hamburg. People should trust democracy more.

The Greens want to anchor young people's say in law. This would be accompanied by a participation strategy, a central coordination office, youth parliaments and a state commissioner for children and youth.

Children and young people should have more say in Hamburg. The Greens want a law for this. There should also be youth parliaments. A commissioner should speak up for young people.

The Greens want to keep putting money into programs and civil society initiatives against extremism, especially for young people. The party sees right-wing extremism as the greatest danger to democracy and freedom.

The Greens want to protect democracy. They want to keep paying for projects against extremism. These projects should mainly make young people strong. Projects for respect and diversity also get money. The party sees the biggest danger in right-wing extremists.

The Greens want protest against fascism to be possible safely and without being criminalized. This is explicitly meant to include forms of civil disobedience.

People should be able to protest against fascism. This should be safe. The Greens do not want such protest treated as a crime. This also covers civil disobedience. That is protest that breaks rules on purpose.

The Greens want to ensure that extremists do not work in public service. To that end, the federal law on judges is to be amended, and opponents of the constitution should not be admitted to legal traineeships.

Extremists should not work for the state. This matters most in the courts. Judges who are barred from office should temporarily lose part of their pay. Enemies of the constitution should not train as lawyers with the state. The Greens want to review and change laws for this.

The Greens want to convert Hamburg's state parliament, the Bürgerschaft, from a part-time into a full-time parliament. Parliamentary groups and the parliament itself are to be better resourced, and cooperation with neighboring parliaments is to grow.

Hamburg's lawmakers only work part-time today. The Greens want a full-time parliament. Party groups should get more money for staff. The parliament should get a research service. Hamburg should also consult more with the parliaments of neighboring states.

The Greens want to keep developing Hamburg's Transparency Act. The transparency portal is to be kept up to date, and publicly owned companies should also provide transparency.

Hamburg has a law on open government information. The Greens want to keep improving this law. The online portal for it should be well maintained. City-owned companies should also disclose information. The freedom-of-information commissioner should get clearer rights.

The Greens want to set up a Hamburg program to digitalize the justice system by 2030, supplementing the federal initiative. They say additional funding is needed. The goal is an efficient, legally sound justice system that is close to citizens.

Hamburg's courts should work more digitally. The Greens want a Hamburg program for this until 2030. This needs extra money. The courts should become faster and closer to the people.

The Greens want to make permanent the more than 100 new positions at courts and the public prosecutor's office if the number of criminal cases stays high. Local courts are to receive additional resources and better-paid clerical staff. The platform cites the heavy load on criminal justice, including from drug and arms trafficking.

Hamburg's courts have a lot of work. The Greens want to keep new jobs there for good. Court office staff should earn more money. Mobile teams should help when there is extra work.

The Greens want to push at the federal level for minor offenses to no longer be prosecuted as crimes. This is meant to ease the burden on criminal courts.

Some small offenses count as crimes today. The Greens want to change that. They will push for this at the federal level. Courts should then have less work.

The Greens want to push at the federal level for a constitutional amendment so that states can extend local voting rights to people from non-EU countries. According to the platform, anyone who lives, works, and pays taxes in Hamburg should be able to vote and stand for election.

The Greens want to change the constitution. Then people from countries outside the EU could vote locally too. They live here and pay taxes. So they should have a say.

The Greens want to make the city a more attractive employer so it can compete for skilled workers. To that end, the states' collective agreement (TV-L) is to become more flexible, career tracks more permeable and the administration more diverse.

The Greens want more people to enjoy working for the city. Moving up at work should become easier. Some employees should get a bonus. More women should work in leadership. More people with a migration background should work there too.

The Left wants to initiate proceedings to ban the AfD and have every neo-fascist organization banned. Nazis and Reichsbürger (people who reject the German state's legitimacy) should have to give up their weapons, and anti-fascist initiatives should be strengthened.

The Left wants proceedings to ban the AfD. Neo-fascist groups should also be banned. Nazis and Reichsbürger should not be allowed to have weapons. Groups working against the far right should get more support.

The Left wants migrants who live permanently in Hamburg to be able to vote even without German citizenship. This should apply to district elections and to elections for the Bürgerschaft (state parliament).

Many people have lived in Hamburg for a long time but have no German passport. So far they cannot vote. The Left wants to change that. They should be able to vote in the districts and for the state parliament.

The Left wants a dedicated freedom of assembly law that guarantees broad rights for demonstrators. Wearing face coverings and holding spontaneous assemblies would no longer be criminal offenses, and civil disobedience should not be criminalized.

The Left wants a new law for demonstrations. It should give protesters many rights. Covering your face at a protest should no longer be a crime. Spontaneous protests should also not be punished.

The Left wants permanent public funding for Hamburg projects that work against right-wing extremism and group-focused hostility. It rules out any cooperation with the AfD or other far-right parties.

Many projects in Hamburg work against right-wing extremism. The Left wants the city to pay for these projects permanently. The Left will not work with the AfD. That applies in parliament and everywhere else.

The Left wants prisoners to be paid at least the minimum wage for their work and to be included in social insurance. Rehabilitation would be greatly expanded, and the courts would get the funding and staff they need.

Prisoners should get at least the minimum wage for their work. They should also be able to pay into the pension system. There should be more help for life after prison. The courts should get more money and more staff.

The Left wants to give Hamburg's districts more rights and recognize the district assemblies as municipal parliaments. The city government (Senate) would no longer be allowed to take over district decisions or override them with instructions.

Hamburg has seven districts. The Left wants the districts to decide more on their own. They should also be free to spend more of their money. The city government should stop overruling them.

The Left wants to substantially improve Hamburg's Senior Participation Act and involve older people in all public planning that affects them. The district seniors' advisory councils are to get broader rights to submit motions.

Older people in Hamburg should have more say. The Left wants to change a law for this. Seniors' councils in the districts should be able to submit more motions. The city should provide enough money.

The SPD wants city services to be delivered faster, more simply and from a single source. To that end, waiting times are to be managed centrally, residents surveyed regularly and agencies focused on core tasks.

The SPD wants city offices to work faster. People should not wait long for appointments. The city will keep checking waiting times. Every five years it will ask residents for their views. A service center downtown should stay for good.

The SPD wants to keep passing collective pay agreements on to civil servants in full and at the same time. A new bonus for citizen-facing services in the districts is to come in 2025, and the tax administration is to train as many recruits as possible.

The SPD wants good pay in the public service. Civil servants should get the same raises as employees. Staff who serve residents directly in the districts should get extra pay. The city also wants to train many tax auditors.

The SPD wants an acceleration drive to systematically reduce deadlines, procedures and requirements in Hamburg. Rules are to be reviewed and permits made simpler and digital, especially in construction.

The SPD wants permits to be faster. The city will check its rules and laws. Rules that are not needed should go. People should be able to apply online. Residents can bring in their own ideas.

The SPD wants to permanently establish the participation of children and young people through a youth participation law. Youth associations, open youth work and international exchange are also to be supported.

Children and young people should have a say in politics. The SPD wants a law for this. Youth clubs and youth groups should stay secure. There should be free places like skate parks. Exchange with other countries is supported too.

The SPD wants to strengthen staffing at courts and prosecutors' offices, shorten proceedings and digitize the justice system. It also plans a reform of legal training and a joint prosecution strategy for criminal police and prosecutors.

Many people wait a long time for a court ruling. The SPD wants to strengthen the courts. Cases should move faster. The justice system should work more digitally. Training for lawyers should also become more modern.

At the federal level, the SPD pushes for a democracy promotion law that permanently funds initiatives for democracy and against right-wing extremism. In Hamburg it wants to reduce discrimination, especially in public administration and health care, and host a democracy congress.

Many groups work for democracy. The SPD wants the federal government to fund them for the long term. A law should make this happen. In Hamburg, the SPD wants to reduce unfair treatment. This applies especially to public offices and health care.