While Federal President Steinmeier gives consolation in the face of the storm, Laschet laughs in the background.
An unfavorable picture for a candidate for chancellor.
Erftstadt - The appearance of Armin Laschet (CDU) in the flood area remains an issue - an unpleasant one for the Union Chancellor candidate. At the weekend, a video sequence of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's speech in Erftstadt, which was particularly hard hit by the storm, circulated on the Internet. While Steinmeier expresses his dismay at the tragic situation, Laschet can be seen in the background laughing with bystanders, apparently joking. There is controversial discussion on social media: Does the CDU leader have the format to lead the next federal government?
The hashtags “LaschetDarfNichtKanzlerWerden” and “Laschetlacht” trended on Twitter on Saturday.
A WDR interview had already caused a stir before, in which the North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister forgot the name of the presenter several times - and said that politics would not be changed immediately because of such a day.
Laschet laughs for a mishap: Fettnapf sprint of the Union Chancellor candidate?
SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil started the attack in view of the pictures.
"How Armin Laschet fooling around in the background while the Federal President speaks to the victims is indecent and outrageous," he told
Bild am Sonntag
.
He railed: “In times of crisis, it is said that character shows itself.
Anyone who sneers around in such difficult situations without feeling disqualifies himself. "
Armin Laschet reacted to the allegations on Saturday evening and apologized.
But the criticism continues.
The snotty interview responses to the WRD, the laughter in the background, all of this adds up to an unfavorable picture in view of the upcoming federal election.
The discussion hits Laschet at a difficult moment.
Because in the voter polls things have recently been looking up again for the Union.
Also SPD Chancellor candidate Scholz and Green Chancellor candidate Baerbock in the disaster area
The pianist Igor Levit wrote on Twitter after the incident that he could think of two candidates for chancellor, “them
such undignified behavior would not have happened ”.
SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz spoke to Malu Dreyer, Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, with those affected in Bad Neuenahr about the consequences of the flood disaster.
On Sunday he travels to Berchtesgadener Land to meet with Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU).
A disaster was also declared there after heavy rain.
Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock initially only expressed her sympathy in writing.
She went to the affected regions of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia later than other top politicians and without the press.
Baerbock, however, is the only one of the three candidates for chancellor to hold no government office
.
Laschet apologizes for "impression" in the flood area - the size of the CDU supports the candidate for chancellor
Laschet later announced that he regretted "the impression created by a conversation situation".
He admitted: "This was inappropriate and I am sorry." The CDU chairman emphasized: "The fate of those affected is close to our hearts, which we have heard of in many conversations." In fact, after Steinmeier left, Laschet visited still in an emergency shelter.
With a serious expression he listened to the people who talk about the horrors of the past few days.
Later, from the group that laughed with Laschet, the district administrator of the Rhein-Erft district, Frank Rock, answered. He speaks of a stressful, emotionally charged situation and explains: “If I have hurt people's feelings with it, I apologize expressly. Even the district administrator is only human and makes mistakes. "
There are also people who defend Laschet, who is under enormous pressure as an election campaigner and head of the state government in the disaster area, against criticism.
One of them is the former CDU member of the Bundestag Ruprecht Polenz.
He writes on Twitter: “Laschet made a mistake.
He apologized.
Now there is criticism that he only apologizes for "the impression".
The impression that was created: Laschet laughs at the suffering (read in dozens of comments).
This impression could arise - but it was wrong. ”Others think that there should be no laughing ban anywhere, not even on sad occasions.
(aka with material from dpa)
List of rubric lists: © Marius Becker
