Tensions in Society Are Shaping Politics and Government Work, Chancellor Says
Germany's Chancellor Warns Democracy Isn't a 'Delivery Service' Amid Rising Public Unease
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned of growing "nervousness" and deep uncertainty among the population, telling Der Spiegel in an interview that the mood is directly affecting the country's political climate.
According to Merz, the strain is also being felt within the ruling coalition of the CDU/CSU and SPD.
"We sense a general unease across the country and serious anxiety among the people. We're under attack from both the left and the right," Merz stated.
He admitted that authorities may have underestimated the scale of the problem.
The chancellor cited mismanaged public expectations as one of the key factors. Voters demand rapid results, he said, but politics cannot operate on an "instant gratification" principle.
"Democracy is not a delivery service," he added.
Merz described the current government as "one of the last chances for the political center" and expressed hope for reform. While acknowledging internal disagreements within the coalition, he emphasized that the parties continue to find common ground.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
