Mayor Thomas Nitzsche on the death of Bernhard Vogel

Lord Mayor Thomas Nitzsche has reacted with great sadness to the death of former Prime Minister Bernhard Vogel. His credo "First the country, then the party" was his guiding compass. Jena, for example, also owes its future-oriented decisions in the Free State's economic and science policy to his time in office, which were and are ultimately of benefit to the entire state. Last but not least, his closeness to the people meant that he was respected and appreciated across party lines. In this, too, he can serve as a role model for today's politicians.

His attitude of always looking at what is best for the country as a whole remains right and important, especially in today's world. Without an agreement in the political center on the central issues that our citizens ask themselves in a broad majority, it will not be possible to bring the approval of the political fringes back to a tolerable level. To achieve this, the centrist parties - both in the leadership and in their base - will have to jump over their shadows on many issues.

Bernhard Vogel will be greatly missed as an admonisher and critical companion.