Frankfurt am Main (dpa) – German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has paid tribute to the German National Assembly that came together in St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt 175 years ago, saying that it paved the way for democracy. “It was the moment when subjects became citizens,” Steinmeier said during his commemorative speech in Frankfurt am Main. The members of the National Assembly had come together for the first time on 18 May 1848 to draw up a liberal constitution for the whole of Germany. Celebrating the St. Paul’s Church anniversary is also a “signal opposing those who despise our parliamentary democracy”.
In his speech Steinmeier, made an appeal for democratic processes: “People fought with their lives for the right to vote.” The head of state stressed that 1848/49 were difficult early years for democracy in view of the challenges that the members of the National Assembly faced. The constitution never came into force. It was also at that time that those opposing forces emerged “who continue to pose great challenges for us to this day,” said the German president.
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