"Green double standard?" List of party donations triggers sharp criticism

World Karsten Seibel 5 min ago. | Already two weeks before the election, twice as much was donated as in the previous election campaign. In the process, the usual order of the parties has become confused. The CDU has lost its top spot, and two other parties are passing it by. The Greens have a moral problem. Large donations in particular are putting the Greens in trouble. The end of Chancellor Angela Merkel's (CDU) term in office is leading to a record in party donations. For the first time, the volume of large donations to parties exceeds the ten-million-euro mark. According to calculations by WELT AM SONNTAG, 10.9 million euros have flowed into party coffers so far. In 2017, only just under 5.3 million euros were collected in the nine months before the Bundestag elections. And not only is the amount a record, but also the number of donations of 50,000 euros or more, which must be reported immediately to the Bundestag and published promptly. The number of donors has risen from 45 to 68, with hardly any corporations or associations among the donors, but many more wealthy private individuals. Unlike in previous elections, the biggest beneficiary is not the CDU. It is now only in third place. The FDP and the Greens occupy the first two places. The Liberals have so far collected 3.7 million euros, the Greens 3.4 million, and the CDU 2.8 million. Far behind is the SPD, which with a single large donation of 100,000 euros is still behind the Südschleswigsche Wählerverband, the Die Partei party and the CSU - on a par with the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD). For the Greens, the tenfold increase in their own donation volume compared to 2017 is particularly explosive. After all, their manifesto says: "Donations to parties should be subject to an annual cap to guarantee independence from economically powerful interests." In their election program, they specify the upper limit, from an "annual maximum amount of 100,000 euros" can be read there. Donations in the millions only for the Greens Four of the ten major donations to the Greens are above this mark. These include the only two million-dollar donations. Bitcoin investor Moritz Schmidt transferred one million euros in April, and this week Dutch entrepreneur Steven Schuurman even gave the party 1.25 million euros. Both justified their generous donation by saying that they wanted to bring about a change in policy. Criticism comes from the political opponent. "The Greens want to ban large donations, but they themselves know no inhibitions when it comes to collecting donations in the millions," CSU Secretary General Markus Blume told WELT AM SONNTAG. He said that before throwing up one's hands in such a way, one should perhaps take a look at one's own election program. "This once again shows the Green double standards," Blume said. There is also criticism from the Left. "If the Greens accept donations in the millions, even though it contradicts their program, they have to ask themselves how far their honesty goes," said federal director Jörg Schindler. He added that they were damaging the reputation of politics with their behavior. "In doing so, they are pandering to right-wing populists who like to claim that the democratic parties are all bought," Schindler said. The left wants to ban corporate donations altogether, and limit those from individuals to 25,000 euros. Even the SPD, which in the past advocated an upper limit of 100,000 euros, is distancing itself from its preferred coalition partner. "The major donors of the Greens are also pursuing intentions," said SPD chairman Norbert Walter-Borjans. As long as there is no limit, he said, each party must decide for itself what it accepts and what it does not. In principle, he sees an urgent need for action in view of the record donations. "There is no more visible argument for a donation cap," Walter-Borjans said. For the Greens, a cap would have been bitter this year. Without the four donations above the 100,000 mark, they would have received just under 400,000 euros instead of 3.4 million euros - the same as in 2017. Green Party treasurer Marc Urbatsch justified accepting the large donations on the grounds of equal opportunity. The party is still in favor of capping donations, he said. But as long as there is no new legal regulation, one does not want to put oneself in a worse position in the political competition. "Rules must apply to everyone," Urbatsch said. The FDP is fundamentally opposed to the introduction of a donation cap. "The solicitation of donations by parties is just as much a part of political competition as the solicitation of members or votes," the Liberals said. There is a need for regulation only in the sponsorship of party events, which so far does not have to be disclosed.