German President Calls for Unity and Cautiously Announces Dissolution of Bundestag in His Christmas Address
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier used his traditional Christmas address to call for unity in the country and announce the dissolution of the German parliament, DW reports.
Steinmeier believes that the Bundestag no longer has any prospects for creating a stable parliamentary majority for the federal government.
‘Even if the government ceases to exist prematurely, it is not the end of the world... I will carefully decide on the dissolution of the Bundestag and new elections after Christmas,’ he said.
As previously reported by the German government, Steinmeier wants to announce his decision on 27 December. It is known that early federal elections will be held on 23 February.
Steinmeier began his Christmas speech by talking about the deadly ramming at the Christmas market in Magdeburg.
‘A dark shadow is hanging over this Christmas,’ he said, adding that “we can only imagine” what the relatives of the victims are going through.
‘You are not alone in your pain. People all over our country sympathise with you and grieve with you,’ Steinmeier said, also thanking the police and medical personnel for their work in the aftermath of the attack.
Speaking about the impact of the attack on society, Steinmeier urged people in Germany not to be divided.
‘Hate and violence should not have the last word. Let's not let ourselves be divided. Let us stand together!’ he said.
In addition to referring to the wars in the Middle East and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Steinmeier also mentioned the upcoming German elections in February 2025.
‘There is enormous dissatisfaction with politics, business, bureaucracy, injustice,’ he said, concluding that ’the tone in our country has become more coarse, sometimes hostile, in our everyday life.’
Despite the challenges, the German president said he believes in the country's democracy and its constitution, which has been in place since 1949.
As The Gaze previously reported, five people were killed, including a nine-year-old boy, when a man drove a car through a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg on 20 December in the evening.
German prosecutors are investigating the incident as premeditated murder and attempted murder.
A citizen of Ukraine was also injured at the fair in Magdeburg, and her condition, according to the Foreign Ministry, is serious.