Love in times of democracy
The Japanese have it easy. The kokuhaku, the declaration of love, traditionally has to happen on the third date. In the current debate surrounding the recount of the 2025 German federal election, this simple rule could offer a way out.
By Alexander Kira
By Alexander Kira
Have you ever confessed your love to someone? Weighed every pro and con and then finally dared to do it? Ouch! Then you know the situation the Bundestag's election review committee is in. In Japan, it's easy--the kokuhaku (confession) has to happen on the third date. But this tried-and-tested rule can also be applied to the question of whether the Bundestag election should be recounted in search of 9,500 votes for the BSW (German Social Democratic Party).
Confessing your love to someone is quite an undertaking. At best, you'll be rejected. That's painful and very embarrassing. But the real problems only begin when the other person reciprocates. Of course, not in the high school playground. But it's different when both parties are married. To other partners. With children in elementary school. A newly financed home. And, of course, with your current partner as a colleague.
Tears, bitter custody battles, and custody disputes loom. But then comes the magical moment when you block all that out because love is worth it.
The Election Review Committee of the German Bundestag could tell you a thing or two about this - and unfortunately, it's not the German national anthem. While the rumors that it meets in pink-painted rooms with plush seating instead of hard parliamentary benches are pure fiction, and the claim that the catering service serves rosé champagne and strawberries with whipped cream instead of coffee and sparkling water at the same temperature is also untrue, the truth is that the Election Review Committee is desperately gazing up at the monitor cube and asking: Dear election god, hear us: What should we do? A party is 9,500 votes short of entering the Bundestag, and we have clear indications that recounts have already been conducted in their favor. What on earth should we do? As is so often the case when one invokes the gods, the answer is already known. But, like with koku, the hesitation is perfectly understandable. What if the 9,500 votes turn up? While the ritualistic insult of the Chancellor has generally replaced the obligatory conversation about the weather as a small-talk topic, no one truly desires another scenario of destabilization, such as the formation of a new government outside the usual timetable. Like a declaration of love, tears, legal fees, and children of divorce loom. And in the end, often no one wins. In such situations, Cupid, with a gentle smile, retreats to the heavens and seeks new victims for his arrows. The law also recognizes this problem and calls it "justice through procedure"--absolute justice would paralyze the rule of law. That's why statutes of limitations exist. Otherwise, quarrelsome Germanic tribesmen in bear traps with clubs or ancient Roman legionaries in full armor would be ringing doorbells everywhere, collecting debts from the distant past.
In a recount of the federal election, however, the winner wouldn't be Cupid, but democracy. And unlike Cupid, it doesn't slink away with an ironic "Oops." It grows stronger, even and especially when the result reflects the will of the voters. Side note: Anyone wanting to grasp the importance of rules in elections should attend a constitutional law lecture, just for fun. Constitutional Law I, Constitutional Organization Law. Within the first few minutes, it becomes clear that elections are the pharmacy of law, where even the slightest irregularity is a huge problem.
A realistic assessment of the situation, however, might make the Bundestag's election review committee's decision somewhat easier. Who says the BSW will emerge victorious from the recount? Perhaps the CDU will ultimately win an absolute majority thanks to forgotten ballot boxes in Berlin's Kreuzberg district and Gelsenkirchen? And according to Edmund Stoiber's own account, nearly 6,000 votes cost him the chancellorship in 2002. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group is the BSW's true ally and has reason to show solidarity.
Or perhaps it will finally come to light that the SPD in Bavaria has been snatching away constituency after constituency from frustrated CSU voters. Or maybe the FDP has landslide-winning all the constituencies on the Baltic coast, a result that was incorrectly reported due to bad weather. That sounds like music to the ears at Klingehöferstraße 8! Or perhaps the Animal Welfare Party will finally find the recognition it deserves: In the 2024 Brandenburg state election, it already garnered twice as many votes as the FDP (Free Democratic Party), making its entry into the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) bypassing the FDP and directly joining a coalition with the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) almost the most likely scenario. My sea of possibilities.
Because a Kokuhaku (a German term for a romantic relationship) doesn't always end badly. On the contrary, there are plenty of them: love stories with happy endings. In short: All you need is love!
November 28, 2025
Alexander Kira has written provocative works on international human rights protection and is a lawyer, presenter, and cabaret artist. He lives and writesIt lies in the heart of Berlin.
CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW BOOK
Confessing your love to someone is quite an undertaking. At best, you'll be rejected. That's painful and very embarrassing. But the real problems only begin when the other person reciprocates. Of course, not in the high school playground. But it's different when both parties are married. To other partners. With children in elementary school. A newly financed home. And, of course, with your current partner as a colleague.
Tears, bitter custody battles, and custody disputes loom. But then comes the magical moment when you block all that out because love is worth it.
The Election Review Committee of the German Bundestag could tell you a thing or two about this - and unfortunately, it's not the German national anthem. While the rumors that it meets in pink-painted rooms with plush seating instead of hard parliamentary benches are pure fiction, and the claim that the catering service serves rosé champagne and strawberries with whipped cream instead of coffee and sparkling water at the same temperature is also untrue, the truth is that the Election Review Committee is desperately gazing up at the monitor cube and asking: Dear election god, hear us: What should we do? A party is 9,500 votes short of entering the Bundestag, and we have clear indications that recounts have already been conducted in their favor. What on earth should we do? As is so often the case when one invokes the gods, the answer is already known. But, like with koku, the hesitation is perfectly understandable. What if the 9,500 votes turn up? While the ritualistic insult of the Chancellor has generally replaced the obligatory conversation about the weather as a small-talk topic, no one truly desires another scenario of destabilization, such as the formation of a new government outside the usual timetable. Like a declaration of love, tears, legal fees, and children of divorce loom. And in the end, often no one wins. In such situations, Cupid, with a gentle smile, retreats to the heavens and seeks new victims for his arrows. The law also recognizes this problem and calls it "justice through procedure"--absolute justice would paralyze the rule of law. That's why statutes of limitations exist. Otherwise, quarrelsome Germanic tribesmen in bear traps with clubs or ancient Roman legionaries in full armor would be ringing doorbells everywhere, collecting debts from the distant past.
In a recount of the federal election, however, the winner wouldn't be Cupid, but democracy. And unlike Cupid, it doesn't slink away with an ironic "Oops." It grows stronger, even and especially when the result reflects the will of the voters. Side note: Anyone wanting to grasp the importance of rules in elections should attend a constitutional law lecture, just for fun. Constitutional Law I, Constitutional Organization Law. Within the first few minutes, it becomes clear that elections are the pharmacy of law, where even the slightest irregularity is a huge problem.
A realistic assessment of the situation, however, might make the Bundestag's election review committee's decision somewhat easier. Who says the BSW will emerge victorious from the recount? Perhaps the CDU will ultimately win an absolute majority thanks to forgotten ballot boxes in Berlin's Kreuzberg district and Gelsenkirchen? And according to Edmund Stoiber's own account, nearly 6,000 votes cost him the chancellorship in 2002. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group is the BSW's true ally and has reason to show solidarity.
Or perhaps it will finally come to light that the SPD in Bavaria has been snatching away constituency after constituency from frustrated CSU voters. Or maybe the FDP has landslide-winning all the constituencies on the Baltic coast, a result that was incorrectly reported due to bad weather. That sounds like music to the ears at Klingehöferstraße 8! Or perhaps the Animal Welfare Party will finally find the recognition it deserves: In the 2024 Brandenburg state election, it already garnered twice as many votes as the FDP (Free Democratic Party), making its entry into the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) bypassing the FDP and directly joining a coalition with the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) almost the most likely scenario. My sea of possibilities.
Because a Kokuhaku (a German term for a romantic relationship) doesn't always end badly. On the contrary, there are plenty of them: love stories with happy endings. In short: All you need is love!
November 28, 2025
Alexander Kira has written provocative works on international human rights protection and is a lawyer, presenter, and cabaret artist. He lives and writesIt lies in the heart of Berlin.
CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW BOOK
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