No one can decide before birth in which country they will be born.

I was not born in Schleswig-Holstein or in Germany, yet I believe I feel just as deep a love for this country as someone who was born here and whose ancestors have lived here for generations.

I firmly believe that it is time to stop waiting for some miracle. Every single citizen of this country is a part of the whole and shares responsibility for shaping the future. I want to be the voice of my party and of the people in my constituency who long for comprehensive and positive change. I believe it is time to make the seemingly impossible possible together. I have always placed great trust in people who are willing to take responsibility for their own lives, their personal future and the future of the next generations. I am firmly convinced that politics must face the many challenges and concerns of our population and be ready to take new paths and find innovative solutions to existing and future problems.

I believe in democracy and in a hopeful future for our country, and together with everyone else who has a heart for Germany I want to work to ensure that Germany, and Schleswig-Holstein in particular, plays an important role in federal politics, in European politics and at the international level. When it comes to the truth, I speak openly and do not let myself be deterred from my goal, even when I am confronted with hostility and exclusion. I love Germany, and this love is something nobody can take from me. I am sure that here and now I will have the chance, more than ever, to work for democracy and success in this country.

I trust that all of you who have a heart for this country and are aware of today’s worries and problems will support me in this.

I want to represent the political convictions of the people in my constituency 6, Plön-Neumünster, and I strive to understand them and to engage with their thoughts, ideas and visions, but also with their worries and problems. I am aware that in the past my party may not always have shown the desired strength and determination in leading our country. I want us, as the CDU, to keep our principles while acting in a more contemporary way. It is crucial for me to win back people’s trust through my politics. I will always have an open ear for people’s concerns, especially for those who tell me about problems and help me solve them.

About me:

I was born and raised in Iran. Before 1979 the Islamists in Iran were a minority and claimed that they, too, wanted to stand up for freedom and equality. When they seized power, democracy and freedom were abolished, and soon people’s living conditions in Iran changed in a way similar to Germany under National Socialism. Extremists and Muslim revolutionary loyalists enjoyed certain advantages, while everyone else was persecuted, imprisoned and many of them executed.

Because of my decision, at a young age, to turn to the Christian faith and to stand up for democracy and freedom, my rights as a human being were taken away, and I had to endure reprisals and restrictions and was confronted with the worst experiences a young person can have in an undemocratic, inhumane and Islamist society.

My wife comes from Indonesia, and both of us had to mourn the loss of our families, friends and relatives because we had joined a different religion and worldview and had chosen freedom and democracy. We came to Germany from America 25 years ago. Here I studied Protestant theology and worked, and our two sons were born here – but we would not have expected that years later enemies of democracy would also gain massive influence in Germany.

About my topics:

Over the past 39 years I have helped refugees from the most varied countries of origin, in Germany and in many other countries of the world, to integrate into their new surroundings and to abandon radical and extremist attitudes. It was and is my aim to give democratic values their due and to build a bridge between refugees and the citizens of Germany on which both sides can meet one another with more tolerance.

The fight against poverty, child poverty and crime are several demanding tasks that Germany must address with even more urgency. To tackle these problems effectively, it is crucial that the whole nation faces these challenges.

Here it is my aim to give people the feeling and the assurance that, as an honest and responsible politician, I will stand up for them with my means and my knowledge and will not leave them alone in the most difficult time of their lives.

The recent rise in the cost of living, as well as the ineffectiveness of some price caps and regulations, make clear, however, that Germany must take new paths. As managing director of Café Jerusalem, a Christian but non-church organization that for more than 30 years has looked after the needs and concerns of homeless people and people with drug and alcohol addictions, I have made sure since taking office that our organization is also there for sex workers, refugees from many different countries of origin and retirees with small pensions, and takes care of their concerns as far as is within our means. I am therefore aware of the problem and face it every day.

I am confident that these challenges can be overcome if we all pitch in and pull together.

Yours,

Siamak Aminmansour