Many Berliners say repeat elections are a sign of the city's deeper dysfunction

 

Many Berliners say repeat elections are a sign of the city's deeper dysfunction

Transcript¹

German efficiency is a stereotype² challenged by the city of Berlin. Its civil government is so dysfunctional that the city had to re-do municipal elections over the weekend.

ASMA KHALID, HOST:

So there's a cultural stereotype that implies Germans are organized and efficient. Local elections in Berlin are proving that is not necessarily true. In 2021, Berlin's state and municipal election was so chaotic³, the results were annulled⁴. Voters went to the polls again yesterday for a redo. Many Berliners see the debacle as a sign of deeper problems with how the city is run. Esme Nicholson reports.

(SOUNDBITE OF SUBWAY TRAIN APPROACHING)

ESME NICHOLSON, BYLINE⁵: It's morning rush hour and Andreas Schmidt is late for work because of delays on the subway.

ANDREAS SCHMIDT: (Through interpreter) Nothing in this city works anymore. It's not just the subway system. Dealing⁶ with authorities and getting paperwork done is agony.

NICHOLSON: Schmidt has just moved house and is required to register his new address with the city authorities in person within two weeks. But he can't get an appointment. Above ground, Deniz Atas is waiting for a bus and has time to share her latest administrative⁷ nightmare.

DENIZ ATAS: (Through interpreter) I became a German citizen years ago, but the authorities recently asked to see my certificate of naturalization, which I've lost. I can't get a replacement⁸ copy, and they won't accept my German passport, even though it was issued by the very same office.

NICHOLSON: Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel runs a column that scrutinizes⁹ this kind of Kafkaesque bureaucracy. Laurenz Maroldt is the newspaper's editor-in-chief and has reported on the capital since reunification.

LAURENZ MAROLDT: (Through interpreter) City officials have perfected a kind of well-ordered, systematic¹⁰ incompetence¹¹. When there's a problem, it lands on somebody else's desk. And when there's money to dish out, everybody is suddenly involved. Either way, nothing gets done.

NICHOLSON: Maroldt says this coordinated¹² gridlock is a liability.

MAROLDT: (Through interpreter) A school has to jump through up to 14 administrative hoops¹³ to get the city to paint the zebra crossing outside the entrance, meaning it can take years.

NICHOLSON: The structure of Berlin's government has something to do with all this. Berlin has a senate which functions as both city hall and state government, but its authority is challenged by no fewer than 12 district councils.

MAROLDT: (Through interpreter) Quite often Berlin's state government ends up dealing with the smallest problems, while the district administrations discuss world peace.

NICHOLSON: Berlin's bureaucratic¹⁴ morass¹⁵ counters the city's more auspicious¹⁶ international image. Its rich history, its art scene and nightlife have long been a draw to outsiders. More recently, the city has attracted tech entrepreneurs. Christian¹⁷ Miele is a venture capital investor¹⁸ and chairs the board of the German Startup Association.

CHRISTIAN MIELE: Berlin became an international startup hub not because of Berlin, but despite Berlin.

NICHOLSON: He says the city authorities have a lot of catching¹⁹ up to do when it comes to meeting business needs.

MIELE: It's getting foreign talent into the city, like getting visas. It's dealing with the financial authorities - obviously, they're slow. This is not how you should work with a startup founder²⁰ who's expected to be, like, really, really fast.

NICHOLSON: After riots on New Year's Eve led to attacks on firefighters and ambulance crews, the conservative CDU party called Berlin a failed city-state. It and conservative press blamed it on, quote, "people with a migration²¹ background," a euphemism²² in Germany for anyone who's not white.

(SOUNDBITE OF BUS PASSING)

NICHOLSON: Back at the bus stop, Atas is still waiting. With Turkish parents, Atas is also considered a person with a migration background, even though she was born in Germany.

ATAS: (Through interpreter) The fact the city won't accept my German passport is not only absurd, it makes me question whether I'm really German in their eyes.

NICHOLSON: She says this kind of structural²³ racism²⁴ is the other systemic problem Berlin's new city government must address.

For NPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Berlin.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

3 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

4 annulled   

v.宣告无效( annul的过去式和过去分词 )；取消；使消失；抹去

参考例句：

• Their marriage was annulled after just six months. 他们的婚姻仅过半年就宣告取消。
• Many laws made by the former regime have been annulled. 前政权制定的许多法律被宣布无效。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

8 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

9 scrutinizes   

v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They fear the ear that hears their orders, and the eye that scrutinizes their actions. 从前，国王都相信他们是天神的儿子，或至少如此自以为是，而且多少还带着点他们父亲天神的风度。 来自互联网

10 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

11 incompetence   

n.不胜任，不称职

参考例句：

• He was dismissed for incompetence. 他因不称职而被解雇。
• She felt she had been made a scapegoat for her boss's incompetence. 她觉得，本是老板无能，但她却成了替罪羊。

12 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

13 hoops   

n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓

参考例句：

• a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
• Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）

14 bureaucratic   

adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的

参考例句：

• The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
• In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔，也必须通过繁琐的手续。

15 morass   

n.沼泽，困境

参考例句：

• I tried to drag myself out of the morass of despair.我试图从绝望的困境中走出来。
• Mathematical knowledge was certain and offered a secure foothold in a morass.数学知识是确定无疑的,它给人们在沼泽地上提供了一个稳妥的立足点。

16 auspicious   

adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的

参考例句：

• The publication of my first book was an auspicious beginning of my career.我的第一本书的出版是我事业吉祥的开始。
• With favorable weather conditions it was an auspicious moment to set sail.风和日丽，正是扬帆出海的黄道吉日。

17 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

18 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

19 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

20 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

21 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

22 euphemism   

n.婉言，委婉的说法

参考例句：

• Language reflects culture and euphemism is a mirror of culture.语言反映文化,而婉语则是各种文化的一面镜子。
• Euphemism is a very common and complicated linguistic phenomenon.委婉语是一种十分常见而又非常复杂的语言现象。

23 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

24 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。