Flash News

E-TJERA

German politician is learning Albanian: Only this way can I win the elections

German politician is learning Albanian: Only this way can I win the elections

By Markus Arndt, BILD

This has never happened before, at least not in Hamburg: a German Social Democratic politician becomes a TikTok star with two short election campaign videos.

In a very short time, citizen representative Markus Schreiber (64) achieved 304,181 likes with his first post on the Chinese-controlled video platform TikTok, and 161,042 with his second. A record – such figures for local politicians from Hamburg are usually in the four- or five-digit range at most.

In both videos, Schreiber invites the ethnic Albanian population to his electoral area, which is located south of the city.

Many people from Albania live in the Veddel or Wilhelmsburg neighborhoods.

In total, there are around 9,000 potential voters who can vote in the upcoming general elections on February 2.

Schreiber handles this very simply: “I’m learning Albanian,” he says in the first video. And then he explains what “Mirëdita” and “Mirupafshim” mean. He also points to the Albanian national symbol, the “double-headed eagle.”

This is coming because, as the figures show, apparently a high number of Albanians live in Hamburg and are allowed to vote.

Hamburg's strange ten-vote voting law means that around 5,000 to 6,000 votes are enough for a candidate to be elected to parliament.

With around 9,000 Albanians eligible to vote, this could theoretically result in up to 45,000 votes. Schreiber tells BILD: "I was looking at the voter groups. It seems like one in two shops in Veddel is owned by Albanians. Albania is a big country, the people are very welcoming."

He himself is somewhat surprised by the incredible reaction on TikTok: "But I think it's good when something is so well received on social media. And not just hate and agitation."

Latest news

2025-02-15 13:01:41