Posted 15 июня 2021,, 07:53

Published 15 июня 2021,, 07:53

Modified 24 декабря 2022,, 22:37

Updated 24 декабря 2022,, 22:37

Embarrassment on air: German Chancellor candidate used a vulgarity with microphone on

Embarrassment on air: German Chancellor candidate used a vulgarity with microphone on

15 июня 2021, 07:53
Фото: merkur.de
At the congress of the Green Party in Germany, candidate for Chancellor Annelena Berbock was embarrassed. The politician hesitated at an important point in his speech, he had to start the phrase from the beginning.

Berbock, after whom the glory of an excellent pupil stretches from the school times, could not endure it and, discontent, used dirty language after the speech. And the microphone was on...

Yelena Ivanova

In recent weeks, things have not been going very well with the Green Party candidate for Chancellor Annalena Berbock. It was necessary to pay extra taxes for the "forgotten" bonus, then in the official biography meticulous journalists and political opponents found inconsistencies. As a result, the politician's rating dropped. If the Germans chose the chancellor by direct vote, then this week Berbock would have finished third after her main rival, the Conservative Armin Laschet and the Social Democratic candidate, the Minister of Finance in the Merkel government, Olaf Scholz. Scholz is not getting any chancellor's post - it is not people who are elected in Germany, but parties, and his SPD has turned from a people's party into a small one and is now gaining 9% of the vote. The fight of the Greens against the CDU / CSU is real. A month ago, it was still said that for the first time an environmental party would become a senior partner in the ruling coalition. This was confirmed by all forecasts. The Greens, who ran an exemplary candidate nomination campaign, confidently gained 28% of the vote in all polls. Conservatives, mired in internal party squabbles and corruption scandals, when members of the Bundestag from their parties either profited from masks, or represented authoritarian Azerbaijan in the European Union as the purest democracy, did not pull more than 22%. The ongoing internal party struggle for the post of candidate for the Chancellor did not add any votes either.

It seemed that the trick was in the bag, and for the first time there would be a "green" chancellor in Germany, and even a woman again. But inexperienced greens, encouraged by such support, began to make mistakes. In democracies, in contrast to authoritarian regimes, the response comes instantly - in the form of a falling rating. At first it turned out that Annalena had not declared a New Year's bonus in the amount of 25 thousand euros. The average salary in Germany is about 50 thousand per year "dirty". The semi-annual income of an average German, from which a politician has not paid taxes, is an unforgivable amount in an electoral year. And it doesn't matter that Berbock had the right to amend the tax return, and that besides her, there were other politicians who also had to pay extra - the stain on the white, or rather, green vest lagged behind.

Then the election headquarters of the "greens" made a stupid mistake and released a biography of the candidate, where she was presented as a charity fairy. In fact, her participation in charity events was limited to a rare donation. Observers just shook their heads: who are these PR people, and why did they release documents without fact-checking? The candidate herself was also good. Rather than immediately apologizing and admitting mistakes, Berbock began making excuses, which only made the situation worse. In general, both the party and the candidate for chancellor approached the congress, where the election program was adopted, not in the best mood.

The issues at the congress were not easy for the Greens. It's one thing when a party is in opposition and only criticizes the government. A completely different situation arises when pre-election statements can become a program of action if a party comes to power. Then “we are for all good against all bad” simply will not work. Should Ukraine supply weapons or not? Combat drones - yes or no? When the co-chairman of the party Robert Habek decided to support the Ukrainians with weapons, not only Putin's lovers in Germany, but also the entire German business shuddered. Not only are European sanctions a double-edged sword, it is unknown how military support for Ukraine will further worsen trade with Russia. The green plans of the co-chairman were not supported, and combat drones with a minimal advantage also did not pass. The Greens are actively rejecting Nord Stream 2. But there are no special "mines" here - the gas pipeline has been completed, if everything goes well, it will soon receive certification, so the "greens" can scold the current government with a light heart.

It is more difficult to form new coalitions. None of the parties have had an absolute majority for a long time and will no longer. The time of autocratic rule in Western Europe is over. Potential partners in the future coalition are already demanding answers. Liberals from the Free Democrats want to know before the elections if the Greens are going to continue supporting the Left Party. If so, then you can forget about a coalition with them.

And it was here that Annalena Berbock had a slip of the tongue (video here). Speaking about the construction of a 5G network, the politician warned that it is very dangerous to allow countries such as China or Russia into this important infrastructure project. "Liberal enemies are on the alert," she said, as she paused and reformulated "liberal enemies" into "enemies of liberal democracy." Not only can ill-wishers be accused of deviating from basic principles, but liberals in Germany are keeping a close eye on what is breaking the Greens' tongue. It depends on who and with whom will rule in Germany for the next 4 years. How can you not curse after such a reservation!

The people in Germany do not like swearing politicians, although they themselves use forbidden words to the right and to the left. On social networks, users ask each other: did she really say so? A video of Burbock swearing that day went viral. At the end of the week, it will become clear whether the voter liked the frankly human reaction or not, all the more this was said to his friend and colleague Robert. Who knew about the microphone? But politics is tough. All means are good here, and no one will stand on ceremony with the mistakes of others. Even to the cursed Lavrov, the minister of not the most democratic country in the world, the Network recalled his escapade for a long time. What can we say about Western democracies. Here, any faux pas of a competitor automatically brings you a rating. Who wouldn't rub their hands.

The weeks ahead of the election will show if the Greens can reverse the downtrend and regain support. Even with the current ratings, they are included in the government, but as a junior partner. The dependence here is direct - the more votes, the more weight the party has in the cabinet. Germany is a conservative country. Even after all the scandals in the CDU / CSU, the blacks remain the main party for most Germans. In addition, the elections in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt showed that in the east of the country there is a threat of the arrival of the right-wing radical party "Alternative for Germany", but they can be fought against. The number of AfD voters did not decrease, but they did not increase, and the CDU was able to improve the result at the expense of other parties. So the greens need to get together and stop making "childish" mistakes if they really want to advance the environmental agenda in the country.

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