Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier has issued a warning about a growing political division in Germany fueled by escalating extremism. While commemorating the Day of German Unity, marking almost four decades since the reunification, Steinmeier highlighted that large segments of the citizenry are voicing their distrust in the political order of the Federal Republic.
Although he did not claim that citizens are turning against democracy itself, the President acknowledged the complexity of the situation. “But, to be honest, I don’t know,” he stated, affirming that everyone exercising the right to vote, something absent during dictatorial rule, is justified and mature enough to make their own decisions. He emphasized that every vote must be taken seriously.
Steinmeier pointed out that ignoring the fact that a quarter or more of voters expressed a deviation from core constitutional rights is not an option. He noted that motivations vary widely, and no one fully understands them, but stressed a persistent pattern: “Voters who drift toward the extremes loudly champion their own rights, while simultaneously being willing to disregard the rights of others.”
He further observed that this trend is accompanied by “an intolerable political demagoguery from extremist forces,” which expresses “a desire for destruction, mocks, and threatens other people.” He warned that this threat jeopardizes not only freedom and democracy but also Germany’s internal cohesion, something they must prevent.
Nevertheless, Steinmeier urged a blunt self-reflection on the part of the governments at the federal and state levels. He asked what the government failed to address during the last three and a half decades to the extent that so many people are losing faith and extremists are gaining such resonance.
The erosion of public trust is not limited to specific geographical regions. “We know it is happening equally in East and West Germany; it affects us all.” He cautioned that while the rise of political extremism in Eastern German states draws attention, he reminded the public that in absolute terms, surveys in Western German states show that extremists are capturing the majority of votes.
