Former head of state Joachim Gauck defends his strong public presence and praises incumbent Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
When asked whether he saw himself as a kind of shadow federal president, Gauck told SPIEGEL: "Of course not."
The former Federal President made his statements very clearly in the migration debate, among other things.
He is "simply a conscious citizen and a political person who gets involved in public debates when his personal and political experiences could be of use."
The relationship with the incumbent Federal President is “characterized by mutual respect,” said Gauck.
"And I particularly agree when he talks about the importance of enlightened patriotism or, in connection with Putin's war, about the existence of evil," said the former head of state, referring to Steinmeier.
"This is a category that cannot be surpassed in terms of clarity." Gauck continued: "Our Federal President is an experienced political sailor - he is able to define exactly what he has to do as president."
DER SPIEGEL 9/24.
p. 26
Contact: florian.gathmann@spiegel.de