Visitor, cyclist, politician: Robert Habeck has been with the Greens since 2002. Never before has their election campaign in Germany been so focused on a single person: at the party congress in Wiesbaden last November, Robert Habeck was elected as the candidate for chancellor in the upcoming snap elections on February 23 with 96 percent of the vote. With his campaign slogan "Become Chancellor, Stay Human" and with emotional videos on Instagram, Habeck is trying to embody a different political style and above all - to attract attention.
Robert Habeck: from writer to vice chancellor
Since 2021, Habeck has held the position of vice chancellor and minister of economics and energy in Olaf Scholz's coalition government, which collapsed due to irreconcilable differences among its members. However, Habeck himself wants to stay in power, although support for his party is currently between 12 and 14 percent. And on social networks he faces misunderstanding and hatred. Many Germans believe that Robert Habeck and his party have burdened the people too much with their ambitious plans for climate protection and the transition to a “green” energy in already difficult times.
Back in March 2022, Habeck said in an interview with DW: “It has always been clear to me that I will make decisions that will be unpopular, difficult, that will require a lot from the people. The majority may not support them, but they will still have to be made because in the long term they are the right decisions for the country“.
Robert Habeck, who turned 55 in September, can be described as a person who came to politics from the outside and made a career. He was born in Lübeck, has four children, and graduated in German studies and philosophy in Germany and Denmark. 20 years ago, he became the party leader in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. As he himself says – The reason for joining the party was a very pragmatic one: the lack of a bike path in his neighborhood at the time.
Later - between 2012 and 2018 - he was Minister of Environment and Agriculture in the northernmost German state. After visiting a slaughterhouse in 2013, he became a vegetarian. Before entering politics, Habeck wrote children's books and crime novels with his wife, one of which was made into a film. “Flight of the Falcon“, “Howl of the Wolves“, “The Cry of the Hyenas“ - these three titles have no particular connection with politics, but they came from the pen of today's German Vice Chancellor.
A different style
At the beginning of his political career, Habek had the image of an "anti-politician" – a person who speaks differently, who is direct and accessible. Over time, however, the chances of manifesting himself in this way become less and less – faced with the seriousness of real politics, Habek inevitably changes his tone. Assessments of his administration are mixed, writes ARD.
He himself believes that writers and philosophers are “better” politicians. He gives as an example Vaclav Havel – writer, civil rights defender and president of the Czech Republic in the 1990s. For Habeck, he has always been a kind of moral authority and idol.
From January 2018 until the 2021 parliamentary elections, Robert Habeck was co-chair of the Green Party together with Analene Berbock, who later became Minister of Foreign Affairs. This was a successful period for the Greens, especially in the European Parliament elections in May 2019, when they received 20.5 percent of the vote in Germany. After the 2021 Bundestag elections, the party entered the ruling coalition together with the Social Democrats and the Liberals.
The war in Ukraine changed the Greens' plans
The three parties in the coalition planned social reforms first and foremost, and Habeck, as Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economics and Climate Protection, wanted to implement a sustainable restructuring of the economy. But plans changed: in February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, and Germany had to abandon cheap Russian fuel in record time.
The plan to build the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany was not implemented. Habek was looking for new gas suppliers around the world, such as in Qatar. At that time, the Germans welcomed Habek's policy because his ideas and proposals were understandable. In his interviews, he explained to citizens the completely new situation that had arisen after the start of Russia's war against Ukraine. He admitted that the government was not well prepared and tried to motivate people to save energy. Habek has repeatedly advocated the search for new energy sources and the increase in renewable sources.
In February 2023, Habeck explained: “Putin started the war, and our independence from energy supplies from Russia means that Putin will no longer have an income. It is undeniable that we, our society, will pay a certain price for this. High inflation, high energy prices. There are many fears and anxieties associated with this“.
The Greens' mistakes and the turning point for Habeck
Then, however, the so-called Heating Act appeared - an attempt to replace energy systems in homes with more environmentally friendly options such as heat pumps, with the aim of putting an end to gas and oil heating in Germany. The law was formulated chaotically, it remained unclear how the state would support the purchase of expensive heating systems. In addition, as it turned out, the pumps did not appear on the market quickly enough in large quantities. Habek's reputation suffered greatly from this, people began to see him as an eco-fanatic who did not know real life. In the autumn, Habek's rating dropped significantly. And the large hole in the budget prevented many plans from being implemented. The three coalition partners quarreled more and more often, which damaged Habek's image even more.
In addition, the Minister of Economics was accused of threatening industry with mass layoffs and of the economy being stagnant. After the resignation of Finance Minister Christian Lindner and the withdrawal of his Free Democratic Party from the ruling coalition in early November, Vice Chancellor Habek found himself in a minority government with the Social Democrat Scholz, who was asked to vote no confidence, and early parliamentary elections were scheduled for February.
A few days after the coalition collapsed, Habek told DW: “This is really insulting. If we look at the history of the ruling triple coalition, I would say that we started as a project for major social reforms: citizenship, migration. It was clear to us that we would have contradictions in economic and financial policy. Then Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine began, and the question of how to maintain stability in the country quickly became the most important one. However, historically it is very insulting that the triple coalition had such a bad reputation and failed“.
What is the future?
What will happen from now on? Will Habek leave politics and become a writer again? He and his Green Party are ready to participate in new coalitions, including with the conservatives from the CDU/CSU. Habek himself believes that his career should not end with the collapse of the triple coalition. And that he still has a chance in the Bundestag elections.
Author: Jens Thurau