German president makes rare national plea amid pandemic

In an Easter television address on Saturday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier asked Germans to remain united and overcome a "crisis of trust" in the government as the country battles a "ferocious" third wave of the coronavirus.

Such speeches to the nation are rare; though Germany's primarily ceremonial head of state has many engagements at home and abroad, Steinmeier usually only makes such televised appearances at Christmas.

German satisfaction in the government, including its handling of the pandemic, has fallen dramatically.

Germany's slow vaccination rollout, lack of political unity — exemplified by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's backtrack on an Easter lockdown — and unclear coronavirus restrictions, have all come under fire.

Have trust in democracy, pleads Steinmeier

People "increasingly feel frustrated and helpless," giving rise to "a crisis of trust" in the country, the president told Germans.

"Trust — in a democracy, this rests on a very fragile agreement between the people and their state: 'You, the state, do your part and I, the citizen, will do mine,'" Steinmeier said.

He called the crisis an additional burden besides the "concerns about health, school, work and the economy" — topics that have dominated German political debate on how to handle the coronavirus pandemic.

Acknowledging that Germany had made mistakes "when it comes to testing, to vaccinations, to digital solutions," he recognized the public wanted to say to their leaders: "Pull yourselves together!"

"There is, of course, no one silver bullet to end the pandemic. And that is why we need political debate – but this debate must not become an end in itself," Steinmeier said.

"Federal or state government, party or coalition, what direction the polls are sliding — up or down in the polls — these considerations must not take center stage. We need clarity and resolve, we need transparent and pragmatic rules, so that people know where they stand, so that this country can once again draw on all of the potential which it possesses."

The president also said that while this criticism is valid, "it is not enough. We must all pull together, my dear fellow Germans! We must give it everything we've got!"

"There's no use merely being outraged about others or about our leaders," he continues. "Rather than constantly pointing out what doesn’t work, we should point out that things do work when everyone does their bit. That is what I'm talking about when I talk about trust. Because ultimately, trusting in a democracy means nothing other than trusting in ourselves."

'I trust every single vaccine'

Steinmeier extended his message of trust to "every single vaccine" approved in Germany. He added: "vaccination is the most crucial step on our path out of the pandemic, so take advantage of it!"

The president received his first dose of the AstraZeneca-developed vaccine on Thursday.

The vaccine has been at the center of concerns over unusual blood clots, despite repeated reassurances from the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization. 

He pointed to vaccines as a sign of the progress made, too, with serums developed in record time, "including, quite notably, in Germany."

Sympathy for 'impatience and 'frustration'

Steinmeier looked to show empathy for people in Germany living through the pandemic: "I know: You, the people, are doing your part in this historic crisis! You're putting in a lot of effort, and you're sacrificing a lot as well."

"For some, it's no longer a question of lost income during lockdown, it's one of financial survival. I'm ever more understanding of the impatience and the frustration at the setbacks of the past months."

Reasons to be hopeful

Steinmeier compared and contrasted a domestic mood that has shifted markedly over the past nine months. Having previously boasted about being "pandemic world champions" after weathering the first wave relatively well, now the public mood had shifted to labeling Germany a global basket case.

"I ask myself: Why in Germany must everything be dealt with in superlatives? As Goethe put it, 'now shouting in triumph, now sunk in despair?'"

He added: "We're not the world champions of the pandemic, but nor are we its most abject failure."

He called on those in Germany to trust their ability and not their doubt.

He ended the speech by referring to Easter as "a festival of hope," adding that: "We have good reason to hope."