German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Germans for unity and optimism in the coming year 2025 in his New Year’s message on Tuesday – despite facing considerable domestic pressure ahead of snap elections. TASR informs about it according to the DPA agency.
“Strength comes from solidarity. And we are a country that sticks together,” Scholz said in a pre-recorded New Year’s message they released Tuesday. According to him, the people of the country impressively proved it after the deadly assassination attempt on the Christmas markets in Magdeburg, in which five people lost their lives and more than 200 others were injured.
Scholz thanked all the first responders, nurses and doctors for their work after the December 20 attack. According to him, the police and rescuers responded in a highly professional manner despite the fact that many were in shock.
“Our solidarity makes us strong,” added the German chancellor. At the same time, he highlighted Germany’s position as the third strongest economy in the world. He pointed out that part of this “success story” is the number of workers from other countries who contribute to the country’s growth.
Scholz also called on citizens, to vote in early parliamentary elections, which will be held on February 23 after the fall of his tripartite coalition. “How the development in Germany will continue is up to you, the citizens. It is not decided by the owners of social media,” he pointed out. According to DPA, it was an allusion to American billionaire Elon Musk, who recently called for support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the elections on his platform X. According to Musk, the AfD is “the only glimmer of hope” for Germany.
Berlin described his statement as an attempt to influence the vote. According to DPA, Musk justified his intervention by the fact that he is the chief executive of the Tesla car company, which operates a huge production plant near Berlin, and thus has a legitimate interest in what is happening in the country.
Scholz warned against a split – he pointed out that “the more extreme the views, the more attention they attract”. According to him, the events in Germany are not decided by those who shout the loudest, but by the “overwhelming majority of reasonable and decent people”, which also applies in the case of elections.
