Robert Habeck, one of the Greens' two top candidates, complains that the election campaign has become tabloid. "What was decisive was the personal," said Habeck on Wednesday in a discussion event of the FAZ. It was "annoying how little this election campaign has drilled so far," said Habeck, who answered questions from the FAZ readers. With the end of the Merkel era, Germany was facing a “political upheaval”, he said. Of course, it is understandable that it is about the personality of the candidates. Habeck admitted it was a “fine line”. "I would have thought that the personality assessment would take place along the lines of the political programs." Annalena Baerbock is running for the Greens as candidate for chancellor. Habeck would also have liked to have had this position; alongside Baerbock, he is now the top candidate for the federal election.Baerbock and Habeck have been party leaders of the Greens since January 2018.
Helene Bubrowski
Political correspondent in Berlin.
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Habeck again expressed his skepticism about an alliance with the Left Party. When asked whether a state should be made with the Left Party, he replied: “One can seriously doubt that.” He referred to the differences in the programs of the Greens and the Left and emphasized that the Left Party wanted to abolish the protection of the constitution. "Have fun fighting right-wing or against extremists or other bad people, I can only say," said Habeck. Although the Greens had this requirement in their program once in a while, he admitted, "we were still young and wild". Habeck accused the Left Party of not having prepared for government activity. He sharply criticizedthat the left-wing faction recently abstained by a majority in the Bundestag from the vote on the evacuation mission from Afghanistan. “In what reality do you live? That was not a campaign of conquest, but a humanitarian action, ”said Habeck. However, he rejected the demand to exclude an alliance with the Left Party. He attested that the left, unlike the AfD, was “on the democratic spectrum”. "Democratic parties must be able to talk to one another." If you exclude this, you are preparing either to be unable to govern or to break your word, said Habeck.In contrast to the AfD, to be “in the democratic spectrum”. "Democratic parties must be able to talk to one another." If you exclude this, you are preparing either to be unable to govern or to break your word, said Habeck.In contrast to the AfD, to be “in the democratic spectrum”. "Democratic parties must be able to talk to one another." If you exclude this, you are preparing either to be unable to govern or to break your word, said Habeck.
In an interview about migration policy, Habeck said that criminals have to be deported because they have "abused their right of hospitality". However, they should not be brought to countries where the death penalty or inhumane treatment is threatened. He described it as "wrong" that the German government wanted to organize deportation flights to Afghanistan for the Taliban until a few days before the fall of Kabul. In response to the demand that 2015 should not repeat itself, Habeck said that the current situation in Afghanistan is completely different, because nobody is coming out of the country at the moment. "You should have the strength to differentiate," he said. With regard to the German local staff who are still in the country, he said: “We have direct responsibility towards the people”, they have “been let down”.Before Habeck, the other top candidates of the parties, Olaf Scholz (SPD), Armin Laschet (CDU) and Christian Lindner (FDP), answered questions from FAZ readers.