The German elections promise to deliver an interesting scenario. They started with the Greens candidate Annalena Baerbock upfront -- till she lost ground as a minor scandal broke out over a thesis she had written, followed by shoddy mistakes in speeches she gave. The CDU-CSU candidate Armin Laschet took up the relay, though initially it seemed as if he did not enjoy sufficient popularity. But according to the opinion polls he started registering a level of support that was more than respectable. It was then his turn to commit serious mistakes and the lead he had acquired simply vanished, till his party dropped in polls to a depth it had never reached before.

So now, the SPD candidate, finance minister Olaf Scholz rides out in front of the pack. Which hardly means he has better chances than the other two of winning the elections. The socialists have a lost a number of elections in the past when from a position of strength in the opinion polls, they ended up at the back when real time election results were published.

Truly the departure from German politics of chancellor Merkel is generating a strange turbulence within the German political classes!

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THE PRESIDENCY

The insidious campaign against President George Vella is being run by persons who boast about their loyalty to and love for the republic and country. In reality, they are motivated by the partisan sentiments of people who have lost their bearings. In a certain way, the more they continue down this road, the more they will exile themselves to the margins.

Few are the people who are or were active in the political life of this country and who in their time, could or can match the President’s record of integrity and correctness. To attempt to chip away at the esteem which he deserves, as these detractors try to do, makes no sense.

It also demonstrates a lack of a real and genuine respect towards the Presidency of the Republic. When Dr Guido de Marco and Dr Eddie Fenech Adami were Presidents, personally I could mount attacks similar to the ones being carried out against Dr Vella, and possibly with greater force. I kept my distance from the two Presidents but also kept back from making any comments about them, so as to maintain full respect towards the post that they occupied. 

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AN EXCELLENT INITIATIVE

There can be nothing but praise for the project announced by the government to provide guarantees for people who, due to no fault of their own, cannot obtain insurance cover for when they buy their house. This happens despite the fact that they have income from employment or some other activity from which to pay interest on the bank loan they need to finance the purchase, and to pay back the loan.

The project identifies a relatively narrow segment of citizens caught in a tight spot, from which there seemed to be no exit. Though they are active and valid members of society, they had been quite forgotten. The project extends to them a worthwhile and productive solution. It would be so nice if all other public initiatives came packaged so intelligently and were as effective.