Robert Habeck has long been considered a possible German finance minister.
Berlin:
Robert Habeck, who will lead a new “super ministry” on climate, energy and the economy in Germany’s upcoming government, is the co-leader of urbane Greens, who helped turn the party into a major electoral force .
The 52-year-old philosopher and author has harnessed her soft-spoken charm as a powerful draw for the ecologist outfit, which is acting as king in a new tripartite alliance under the appointed by Prime Minister Olaf Scholz.
Habeck has long been seen as a possible finance minister, holding a tight grip on Europe’s top economy as he funnels billions of dollars into a greener economy, but he lost a tug-of-war before leader of the pro-business Liberal Democratic Party (FDP), Christian Lindner.
Now, nearly two months of tug-of-war have seen Habeck win a lucrative consolation prize – a new center of power that combines power over economics, climate protection and energy policy.
He will also be deputy chancellor for Scholz.
“We are talking here about a moment that changes the course of history,” Habeck noted of the campaign train ahead of the September general election, in which the Greens ranked third.
He made headlines in April when, as a more senior member of the Greens leadership duo, stepped aside in favor of his younger female partner at the helm, Annalena Baerbock, becoming the party’s first prime ministerial candidate.
When her candidacy for the top job ran into trouble due to a plagiarism scandal and questionable bonuses, Habeck showed loyalty even when experts asked if he was the right person. Is there a better standard?
‘Panda Of Politics’
A doctor of philosophy who has co-authored several novels with his wife Andrea Paluch, Habeck is often described as an accomplished mediator between opposing political fronts.
A famous politician who has sat on a boat drinking rum and discussing environmental policy with local fishermen, he is considered a natural communicator who can appeal to voters of all ethnicities.
In the complicated coalition negotiations, Habeck worked to reach across the aisle, particularly with the libertarian FDP, often odd mates for the Greens.
“Even those who end up fighting ambitious climate goals must understand that when you preserve our climate, you protect our freedom,” he recently told media. German Pine.
The Danish-speaking father of four from the northern Schleswig-Holstein region entered politics relatively late.
Participating in the campaign for bike lanes in 2002, Habeck was appointed regional party chairman just two years later.
It was the beginning of his steady rise, and his eloquent demeanor and three-day stubble are now frequent elements of many German political talk shows.
Uwe Jun, a political scientist at Trier University, told AFP: “He’s more of a generalist than an expert, and he has a way of simplifying complex issues.
Once described by the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung as the “panda of German politics” for his gentle nature, Habeck is also known for his sensitivity to sad films.
Still, longtime media buffs aren’t immune to quirky public relations spoofs.
In 2019, he caused a storm on social media when he said he wanted to turn the former communist eastern state of Thuringia into a “democratic zone”, suggesting that it is not yet a region.
Habeck insisted he was simply wrong, but ended up quitting Twitter and Facebook in frustration.
‘Sense Of Homeland’
Habeck brings significant experience in both holding political office and working in a coalition.
As Schleswig-Holstein state minister of energy and environment from 2012 to 2018, he served in coalitions with both the centre-left SPD and the conservative CDU.
Meanwhile, Habeck has repeatedly urged the Greens to look beyond their core ecological issues and their traditional left-wing establishment.
His 2010 book “Patriotism: The Case of the Left” argued for constitutional pride advocated by German philosophers such as Juergen Habermas.
Speaking about the book in 2019, he argued that “the flag and anthem do not belong to right-wing populists”, and that the left should also give a “sense of unity and homeland”.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
