German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was time for politicians to stop complaining and to serve in the interests of the nation, during a speech in Demmin on Wednesday.
“It is not the time to permanently ask what others do wrong, but for the parties to ask themselves what can we do for our country. This is the job of politics: to serve and not to grumble”, Merkel told Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party members, parroting the words of former US President John F. Kennedy.
Negotiations between Merkel’s CDU, their Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) secured a major breakthrough last week, and could lead to the formation of a new coalition government.