Ex-President Gauck urges German government to embrace risk and decisive action

Former German President Joachim Gauck is calling for the current government to demonstrate greater courage and a willingness to take risks in its policy decisions. He argues that only through decisive action and clear communication about necessary sacrifices can the growing support for the far-right AfD party be countered.

Gauck expressed his views in an interview with Welt am Sonntag, stating that "every real reform entails impositions." He emphasized the need for political leaders to possess the strength to explain to the public why these impositions are necessary. "We are excellent at describing crisis scenarios. Now, action must be taken. Then, there might also be a shift in sentiment," Gauck said, adding that party interests should be secondary to the common good.

The former president, who served from 2012 to 2017, criticized the government's perceived lack of initiative. "Many government representatives have adopted a habit of waiting and managing, because they did not want to stand out through risk-taking," he stated. "This administrative 'carrying on' destroys trust; it does not open up a positive vision of the future. The damage goes to the core of democracy."

Gauck also cautioned against broadly labeling all AfD voters as fascists, calling it "nonsense." He suggested that the primary issue is a "psychological need for relief" and that "fixed milieus have developed in recent years, establishing themselves in a certain foreignness towards our state and the liberal open society."