German Consulate hosts Election Party
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- Panel Discussion at the Election Party - from left to right: Klaus Peter Siegloch, Cathleen S. Fisher, Nikolaus Piper, Garrick Utley
- (© GKNY)
Germany has voted - and on election day, September 27, 2009, more than 100 guests followed the live TV news broadcast with anticipation and suspense. Consul General Horst Freitag invited to a Bavarian buffet-style lunch and a panel discussion, moderated by Garrick Utley, Chairman of the American Council on Germany and President of The Neil D. Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce.
A wide range of guests, including German and U.S. media representatives as well as members of the German-American community, listened to the discussion with Klaus-Peter Siegloch, Bureau Chief of ZDF German Television in New York; Nikolaus Piper, Senior Correspondent of Süddeutsche Zeitung; and Cathleen S. Fisher, Executive Director of the American Friends of the Humboldt Foundation.
Not only the preliminary official results, but also the decoration of the German House Auditorium, with colorful original election posters, sparked lively conversations and discussions among the guests and the panelists. Germany has a vibrant multi-party parliamentary system and there were six parties running with a chance at forming coalitions in a bid to govern the country. The percentages of votes, each party receives, translates into the share of seats in the German parliament, “Der Bundestag.”
There may have been some different views on the election results, but there was one thing all agreed on – despite the rain, everybody enjoyed the German specialities, such as “Leberkäse” and smoked pork chop, and a good time was had by all.
