In 2012, Germany elected its president - Joachim Gauck became it. During the election campaign, he scored 991 votes from national and regional members of parliament, defeating his main rival, Butt Klarsfeld (126 votes).
Former pastor of the Lutheran church, a human rights activist, Gauk does not belong to any political party. He gained a high reputation thanks to the firm expression of his opinion, even in contentious issues. 80% of the German public consider him a person who is trustworthy. It is important to note that Chancellor Angela Merkel supported Gauck in the presidential election, and not Christian Wolfe (a landmark in German politics).
Joachim Gauck: biography
He was born in 1940 in the city of Rostock. The head of the family, his father, was an outstanding naval officer, captain of the ship. After World War II, the Communists occupied the eastern part of Germany, where Gauck lived, turning it into the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In 1951, his father was sent by Soviet troops to Siberia. In 1955, he was pardoned, and he returned to Rostock.
Joachim spent his childhood behind the Iron Curtain. And in adulthood begins to oppose the government of East Germany and the ideas of socialism. He refused to join the ranks of free German youth, joining a group that opposed communism. Even the state security police (Stasi) considered him a zealous rebel and foreshadowed him the possibility of repeating the fate of his father.
Anti-Communist Pastor
Joachim Gauck was considered by the government as an incorrigible anti-communist. Therefore, he was forbidden to study journalism. Instead, he studied theology at the University of Rostock and became a pastor at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mecklenburg-Pomerania. But members of the state security continued to persecute him, as they treated Christianity with distrust.
In addition to his current position, Gauck worked as a county and city youth pastor in Rostock.
Career and revolution
During the 1989 peaceful revolution, the future president of Germany, Joachim Gauck, joined the democratic opposition party New Forum. In this organization, he showed himself quite actively, thanks to which he subsequently became its chairman.
In March 1990, he was elected to the People’s Chamber of the GDR, which teamed up with two other democratic parties to form the Alliance-90.
In the same year, after leaving the party, Joachim Gauck became the special head of the Stasi secret police archives. After he was commissioned to investigate serious communist crimes. In this position, he served for about 10 years.
Together with Jens Reich, Ulrike Poppe and three other activists, Gauck became an opposition representative in the GDR. And then he was awarded the Theodor-Heuss medal.
Responsible work
From 1990 to 2000, Gauk, during his work with the secret archives, discovered thousands of people who collaborated with the Stasi and exposed the opposition. As a result, many of them lost their jobs in the public sector. In 1995, Gauck was awarded the Federal Cross for first-class services.
In addition, future president Joachim Gauck advocated for human rights and emphasized the importance of ensuring that the history of communism in Central and Eastern Europe is not overshadowed by the Third Reich.
In 1998, Gauck published the Black Book of Communism, where he presented his views on National Socialism and Communism. He was one of the first to sign the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism (2008) and the Declaration on the Crimes of Communism (2010). German Chancellor Angela Merkel at her 70th birthday expressed deep gratitude to Joachim for his tireless work in promoting the elimination of communism and other forms of totalitarianism.
Job change
In 2000, Marianna Birtler became Federal Commissioner for Security Acts of the former GDR. Gauk left this post because, by law, he could be elected no more than two times in five years.
In 2001, he became a member of the board of the European Center for the Monitoring of Racism and Xenophobia.
In 2003, the incumbent president of Germany received the Bad Iburger Courage-Preises award for extremely courageous actions. In the same year he was elected chairman of the Association Against Oblivion - for Democracy.
In 2004, Gauck modernized the Traces of Injustice exhibition dedicated to the victims of Nazi military justice in Torgau.
Who is the president of Germany?
In 2010, German President Horst Köhler resigned due to a moral downfall in front of the people and government. Nevertheless, many people considered him the best president because of his honesty and tolerance.
Gauck from the SPD and Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen parties was nominated as a candidate for president. However, in the third round of voting, he was defeated by Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Christian Wulff.
In 2012, with 991 votes, Joachim Gauck defeats Butt Klarsfeld and becomes president of Germany.
Special moment
“What a wonderful Sunday, ” German President Gauck said at the beginning of his short speech after announcing the election results. He immediately emphasized that he intended to focus on the main topics and issues of great importance to Europe and the world.
Before the assembled members of parliament in the German Bundestag on March 23, 2012, Gauck was sworn in.
His victory was very predictable. This is confirmed by a survey conducted by ARD, which revealed that 80% of Germans consider him a trustworthy person.
"Emotional power"
German President Joachim Gauck has charisma. His biographer Gerd Langguth said Gauck is someone who can touch every person’s heart with his speech.
To emphasize his unpredictable character, he calls himself either a “left-wing liberal conservative” or a “conservative liberal of the left.”
Sueddeutsche Zeitung claims that his main strength is in preaching. He added that sometimes this emotional quality can be difficult: “His thoughts and words, and sometimes actions, are very difficult to predict. And that annoys some people. ”
Frank statements from the president of one of the most powerful states in the world can become strong waves that travel far and can be intertwined not only with the opinions of ordinary people, but also citizens of other powers. Mr. Gauck has already become a hero of many Germans, but he can become a hero for some “non-Germans” too!
The main goals of the president
Of course, the main goal of the new President of Germany, as well as other politicians, is to win the hearts of the public and prove to them that the German state is a country that is proud of its high status, honesty and transparency. After all, these are the qualities that are rarely seen today in a world where politicians are hypocritical and transfer responsibility to others. At all conferences, Gauck relentlessly argues that the best way to develop a country is to help those in need and to maintain tolerance.
The current president will also try to crack down on right-wing extremism. This means that, having examined some sections of the constitution, which refers to the immediate liquidation of political parties that focus on the ideas of national socialism, communism and xenophobia, he may recognize the organization of NPD as illegal.
He will provide strong support to political parties in Germany, including the CDU Merkel, and will have a beneficial influence on their work.
And his last goal will be to improve international relations with other countries, including the United States, since the past head of state (Christian Wolf) has not achieved any results in this matter.
Foreign policy
According to many political scientists, Joachim Gauck found the right formula in the conduct of German foreign policy. Its most important achievement is the retreat into the past from the Second World War, strong cooperation and reconciliation with Germany’s geographical "neighbors", commitment to European integration, reliable partnership with the United States, free trade. Germany stands for a concept of security based on respect for human rights. And the most important thing is to maintain order and uphold our external interests when dramatic changes take place in the world.
Based on its experience in ensuring human rights and supreme law, Germany is taking decisive steps to maintain and establish an order based on the legitimate principles of the European Union, NATO and the United Nations. Gauk is fighting to ensure that cruel regimes do not hide behind the foundations of state sovereignty and non-interference, participating in international security conferences.
