FRANKFURT 鈥� Germany's president says the country is enduring a 鈥渃risis of trust鈥� and urged people to 鈥減ull together鈥� as they weather a second Easter amid pandemic restrictions and dissatisfaction over the government鈥檚 response.
In the text of an address to be broadcast Saturday, Frank-Walter Steinmeier conceded that 鈥渢here were mistakes鈥� regarding testing, digital solutions and vaccinations.
鈥淭rust 鈥� in a democracy it rests on a very fragile understanding between citizens and the state: 鈥榊ou, state, do your part, I, citizen, do mine,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚 know that you, the citizens, are doing your part in this historic crisis. You have done much and you have gone without much.鈥�
鈥淵our expectation for those in government is, 鈥楪et it together.鈥�"
Steinmeier said the country had swung from self-satisfaction over lower infection numbers in the early stage of the pandemic to excessive pessimism today.
He urged Germans to 鈥減ull together鈥� and put aside 鈥渃onstant indignation over others or over people in high places.鈥� He said that vaccine deliveries would increase sharply in the coming weeks, Europe was building up its production capacities, and general practitioners would join the vaccination effort in addition to large vaccine
鈥淭he truth is, we're not world champion, but we're not a failure either,鈥� he said.
Germany, along with the European Union as a whole, has lagged behind the U.S. and the U.K. in the speed of its vaccination effort amid slower procurement of vaccines and complaints about excessive bureaucracy and paperwork. Poll numbers for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party have slipped as the country faces a national election on Sept. 26. Merkel isn't running again.
The Associated Press
