Berlin (dpa) – Germany’s Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has warned against abandoning democracy. In his Christmas speech he called for solidarity and peaceful coexistence instead. When things got tough in democracy, Steinmeier warned, there were “better advisors than anger and contempt”. “And there are better alternatives to acting as if there were always a simple answer to the questions of the future. Courage and a collaborative approach are the qualities we need here.” This also meant bearing everyone’s needs in mind, he said. “We’ll only ever make progress if we work together — not if everyone withdraws into their own world,” said Steinmeier.
This year the world had shown its dark side, the Federal President said: there had been much suffering and destruction, as well as hatred and violence. In this connection he cited the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in particular. “And since autumn we’ve been horrified by the atrocities committed by Hamas and the victims of the war in the Middle East.”
In his Christmas address, Steinmeier also noted that the Federal Republic of Germany was due to celebrate 75 years of democracy next year. “Our constitution is something we can be proud of,” he said, referring to the adoption of the Basic Law in May 1949. “It is a foundation that has sustained our country well so far – even when things have been more difficult. And I firmly believe it will continue to do so in the future.”