Gillamoos: A Bavarian political tradition

Thu 6th Sep, 2012

Since 1313 the "Gillamoos" Volksfest (folk festival) has been celebrated the first weekend in September in the town in Abensberg in Lower Bavaria. For more than 50 years, the Monday after this weekend is honoured as an annual tradition. On this morning, all political parties invite politicians to speak in one of the beer tents at the same time. One year before elections this year even chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) showed up for the CSU. Besides praising CSU politics, Merkel emphasised the positive role of EU for Germany.

The SPD invited their candidate for the next year´s election in Bavaria, Munich´s mayor Christian Ude. For the FDP, the chair of the party in Schleswig-Holstein, Wolfgang Kubicki, who did unexpectedly well in the local elections a few months ago, held an address. Additionally, the Green party chair of the parliamentary group in Berlin, Jürgen Trittin, came to Bavaria to speak at the same event. As a more regional based party, Freie Wähler again invited local party chair Hubert Aiwanger.

As always "Gillamoos" was a place more for direct talk than polite diplomacy, which is a real Bavarian tradition.


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