The office of German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has published the text of the politician's Christmas address to the nation - even before it was broadcast on television.
According to Bloomberg, the head of state expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims and survivors of the terrorist attack in Magdeburg, saying that "Christmas was overshadowed".
Steinmeier focused on the upcoming Bundestag elections. He acknowledged that "many people are worried about Russia's war against Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East" and "dissatisfied with politics, the economy, bureaucracy and injustice".
The President called for "not to make the end of the world out of the end of the current government" and "not to allow the tone of daily conversations to become harsh and ruthless, not to let us be divided, because unity in difficult times defines us as a nation".
- On 16 December, the Bundestag expressed no confidence in Olaf Scholz's government, triggering the process of early elections.