Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier put the corona pandemic at the center of his Christmas address and emphasized the role of each individual. “I would like to thank the large, often silent majority in our country from the bottom of my heart, who have been acting prudently and responsibly for months,” said Steinmeier, according to the speech in the speech that was broadcast on Christmas Day. This majority of citizens have recognized: “More than ever we are dependent on one another – I depend on others and others on myself,” said the Federal President.
The pandemic has determined life in Germany and around the world for almost two years, said the head of state. “Seldom have we experienced so closely how endangered our human life is and how unpredictable the future is – the next month, the next week, even the next day.” Even at the moment, you have to restrict yourself more to protect yourself against a new virus variant. “But we also learned that we are not powerless,” said Steinmeier. “We can protect ourselves and others.” He is glad that “the vast majority” have recognized the opportunity that lies in the vaccination. “How much grave suffering, how many deaths, has already been prevented to this day.”
Without explicitly mentioning vaccinators or lateral thinkers, Steinmeier said that there are of course arguments, uncertainties and fears. It is important to pronounce them. “Nobody is prevented from doing this with us. What matters is how we talk about it – in the family, among friends, in public.” After two years there was frustration, irritability, alienation “and unfortunately also open aggression”, said the Federal President. In a democracy not everyone has to be of the same opinion. “But please let us remember: We are one country,” said the Federal President. “We must still be able to look each other in the eye after the pandemic. And we still want to live together after the pandemic.”
Steinmeier is standing for re-election on February 13th
It is Steinmeier’s last Christmas address in his first term of office. On February 13, he will stand for re-election to the Federal Assembly. It is still unclear whether further candidates will take part. In the Union there are considerations to send a woman into the race against the incumbent. Corresponding statements came recently from North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst and the designated CDU chairman Friedrich Merz.
However, the parties that set up the new traffic light government in the federal government, i.e. the SPD, Greens and FDP, also have a majority in the Federal Assembly. The FDP announced on Wednesday that the parliamentary groups in the federal and state governments would support Steinmeier. The SPD, for which Steinmeier was active in several functions before his election as head of state, had already expressed its support when the Federal President announced his candidacy for a second term. The Christmas speech can be seen on December 25th on ARD and ZDF after the main evening news programs.