The run up to the official election season took the better part of the year, but when the election was finally called on national television at 11:00am Friday morning, it took less than fifteen minutes for Copenhagen to be plastered from gutters to gables and bridges to berm with glossy, oversized posters of the candidatesÂ’ faces.
The law states that campaign posters can only be hung up in public spaces once the prime minister has named the date for the election, thus setting off the official campaign season. But securing the most visible and heavily trafficked light posts and walls for candidates’ political posters requires platoons of poster hangers with a keen strategy.
Troops of young political volunteers armed with jumbo zip-ties and cargo bikes brimming with placards could therefore be seen staking out their territories all over the city as early as Thursday morning in anticipation of the prime minister’s announcement.
Volunteers for Social Liberal candidate Manu Sareen, were out on Dronning Louise’s Bridge, at 11:00am Thursday – a full day before the prime minister finally called the election.
“We think the election will be called today,” volunteer campaign coordinator Nicolai Kofoed, told Urban newspaper on Thursday. He and his colleagues had to wait another full day to hang their posters. The prize for their patience, however, was the most heavily trafficked street between city centre and Nørrebro, their candidate’s district.
Stefan ØstergÃ¥rd Jensen was hanging posters for Conservative candidate Rasmus Jarlov on the cityÂ’s main traffic artery, H.C. Andersen’s Boulevard.
“We were ready to put up posters this morning. We were sleeping with our boots on, so to speak,” he told The Copenhagen Post.
Students made up the bulk of the other political poster crews The Copenhagen Post spoke with on Friday. At Town Hall Square on Friday morning, student Anne Gausland had staked out prime territory for Social Democrat leader Helle Thorning-SchmidtÂ’s likeness.
“I would prefer if they wouldn’t call the election right before school starts, so it wouldn’t be so hectic for me. But at least we have nice weather today for putting up posters,” she said.
Seventeen-year-old Pauline Kofei Vandet and two young campaign colleagues managed to snag some high profile light poles right across from parliament for more Thorning-Schmidt posters.
”We’ve been up since the early morning and we started going right after 11:00am,” Vandet said.
Three full weeks of postering, plastering and politicking have now begun. The election will be held on September 15th.
Reporting contributed by Eva Korte and Valerie Mathis.
