Election posters under fire: punishments and scandals in view!

Election posters under fire: punishments and scandals in view!

election posters are an indispensable part of every election campaign in Germany. These posters represent the embassies of the parties and should be respected. But the destruction or manipulation of such posters represents a criminal offense. SWR reports that election posters are the ownership of the respective party. Damage such as tearing, overliving or overpatient are considered property damage that is punishable.

Taking or hanging out of election posters is considered theft. As a rule, fines that are determined individually by the judges are threatened. In special cases, prison terms can also be imposed, as explained in the Analysis by lawyer.org . Factors such as criminal records of the perpetrator influence the amount of the punishment. In the event of damage or theft, the parties concerned can also request compensation.

legal foundations of criminal liability

The handling of election posters is clearly regulated in German criminal law. According to StGB (Section 303 (1)), the destruction of election posters is punished as property damage. The punishments for this can be fines or imprisonment of up to two years. When using anti -constitutional symbols, the imprisonment can even rise to three years.

The disruption or disability of a choice is also regulated under certain paragraphs of the Criminal Code. In the event of election disabilities, up to five years of imprisonment or a fine threatens. This regulation also refers to actions related to election posters. The hanging or destruction of posters is not just a simple offense, but can be seen as part of major crimes in this context.

special occurrences

A current incident illustrates the explosiveness of this topic. In Munich, the satire party "Die Party" reported that it had found stolen posters from the CSU using GPS trackers. The CSU employee who had removed the posters stated that he found them to be disparaging. Then "the party" filed a complaint for theft. This shows that the legal disputes about election posters are not only theoretical nature, but also affects real and current cases.

It is also important to emphasize that election posters may not be damaged or removed even after the elections, even if this dependent content has. The rights of the parties are protected by the law, and only authorities may intervene under certain conditions. In such cases, citizens should report problematic posters to their municipal authorities who are obliged to examine this matter and act if necessary.