Green Party Chancellor candidate Robert Habeck has reportedly thought about leaving politics in 2024, according to his own statements. “Last summer, I turned inward. I asked myself if I can still make a meaningful contribution or should I just stop with politics altogether” Habeck told the “Spiegel.” He said the reasons for his doubts were “trust has eroded – in politics as a whole, in people, also in me.”
In the summer, he questioned what he could do with this finding. “Can I still regain trust – in my person, in the Greens, and in the democratic system of this country.” As Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced her decision to forgo the Greens’ top candidate position in mid-July, his own decision was still open, said Habeck. “I wanted to take some time, spoke a lot with confidants, but also with people I had already had disputes with within the party. And at some point, it was clear that the party would support me.” That’s why he’s running as Chancellor candidate.
Regarding his election chances, he said in the face of opinion poll results for his party, which currently ranks behind the Union, AfD, and SPD, “I’m the underdog.”
Additionally, Habeck warns US billionaire Elon Musk against further attempts to influence the election in Germany. “Finger off our democracy, Mr. Musk” he told the “Spiegel.” “The combination of immense wealth, control over information and networks, the use of artificial intelligence, and the willingness to ignore rules is a frontal attack on our democracy.”
Musk had recently published an article in the “Welt am Sonntag” in which he made a kind of election recommendation for the AfD. This was “devastating” said the Economics Minister and Vice-Chancellor. “The richest man in the world, who owns one of the most influential communication platforms, openly supports a right-wing extremist party. We should not make the mistake of dismissing warnings, as we have so often in the past.” Musk uses everything to push through his interests. “Just because he comes across as laid-back and builds electric cars, we should not be fooled” Habeck said.