When politicians set off for disaster areas or crisis regions, there are always several motives: The first is that those concerned wanted to see the situation for themselves on the spot.
Second, the visitors always state that they want to encourage people and support the injured and the construction workers in the critical situation.
And thirdly, they usually have the announcement of help and development funding in mind.
Johannes Leithäuser
Political correspondent in Berlin.
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During election campaign times, the intention can also be to gain attention and recognition through an active appearance in front of oppressive backdrops - this effect has been a public image at least since the moment when the former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in rubber boots during the election campaign during the Elbe flood trudged through flooded towns.
Union and SPD, side by side
Currently there are only a little more than two months left until the date of the next federal election. On Sunday, Chancellor Angela Merkel was unable to assume for several reasons that she harbored silent campaign motives during her visit to the flooded area on the Ahr. Firstly, she is no longer running in the upcoming federal election and not only gives up her office, but even refrains from applying again for a mandate.
Second, after an information visit to the half-destroyed community of Schuld, Merkel then chose the place in front of the town hall in Adenau for her “official” appearance in the crisis area, which was beyond the traces of the destruction. Thirdly, Merkel undertook her crisis tour at the side of the Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer, so the parties of the grand coalition, the Union and the SPD, appeared side by side.
Merkel explained in detail what the federal government intends to do now.
The state secretaries of all federal ministries who could contribute to the reconstruction formed a committee to coordinate the reconstruction there;
On Wednesday, the federal government wanted to resolve the millions in aid that had been promised.
Twice a week there will then be an information video link between the federal government and the countries concerned to discuss what is needed and where;
the disbursement of federal financial aid would then have to be carried out by the federal states.
Both Merkel and Dreyer tried to emphasize the seriousness of their crisis visit in their statements.
It is really important to get an idea of the local situation for yourself, said Dreyer and added: "Of course we cannot be everywhere."
This was apparently aimed at critical remarks from those affected in the region that politicians only visited certain places in the crisis area and did not come to them.
Merkel said in her statement on Sunday that she had traveled to the Ahr Valley to “get a real picture of a surreal, ghostly situation”.
Lags behind the criticism for laughter
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had been to the North Rhine-Westphalian crisis region in Erftstadt the day before - in his representative office his main focus was on giving consolation and demonstrating the solidarity of the nation. The North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) accompanied the Federal President, but stayed in the background - apparently he was not interested in creating the impression that as a CDU candidate for Chancellor he was using this opportunity to raise his profile.
Nevertheless, television cameras also had Laschet in their sights and showed a moment of amusement while Steinmeier gave his solemn address. Both the CDU candidate for chancellor and the local politician, with whom he was joking, saw themselves prompted to apologize the following day. Laschet later announced that he regretted "the impression created by a conversation situation". "This was inappropriate and I am sorry."
District Administrator Frank Rock added the explanation: "Yesterday I cried with those affected, but also laughed in a brief situation." This brief moment was just captured by the cameras.
Rock spoke of a stressful, emotionally charged situation and explained: “If I have hurt people's feelings with it, I apologize explicitly.
Even the district administrator is only human and makes mistakes. "
Scholz and Altmaier announce help
The SPD appeared to be the first political authority to come up with the election campaign again in this situation - its General Secretary Lars Klingbeil loudly and sharply condemned Laschet's behavior.
The picture on Sunday said Klingbeil that it means that the character shows itself in times of crisis.
"Anyone who sneers around in such difficult situations without feeling disqualifies himself."
By the way, the SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz was the first high-ranking Berlin visitor to the floodplain on Thursday, made his own picture and then announced immediate federal aid amounting to 50 million euros.
On Sunday, Scholz then exceeded his own announcement in the newspaper Bild am Sonntag by a factor of six;
now he said the federal government would decide on emergency aid of more than 300 million euros.
In the chorus of such announcements, Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) could also be heard at the same point on Sunday.
He demanded "a corona flood lump sum of up to 10,000 euros for companies that were hit twice as hard" - and in this way tried to manage the crisis in a comprehensive manner.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor announced her next visit to the crisis region, unimpressed: She will be back in August, said Merkel, to get an idea of how the reconstruction is going.