State returning officer warns of disinformation ahead of Berlin state elections

Ahead of the state elections in Berlin, state returning officer Stephan Bröchler warns of the increasing delegitimization of elections in Germany through false information. “We have to realize that disinformation – especially via social media – has reached a new dimension compared to previous years,” Bröchler told the Rheinische Post.

This development worries him, said the political scientist. He is in contact with representatives of social media platforms. "If there are disinformation campaigns in the run-up to the elections or shortly afterwards, we will be able to react quickly in consultation with the platform operators," said Bröchler. The increasing disinformation is “very dangerous” for the legitimacy of the new parliament and also the government.

Bröchler emphasized that elections in Germany are carried out seriously. There is no empirical evidence that there are irregularities in postal voting in old people's homes, for example, he said. AfD politicians have made similar claims in the past.