Germany pays tribute to late ex-president

German President Joachim Gauck and Chancellor Angela Merkel led tributes to former president Roman Herzog, who died at age 82, describing the key role he played in the country’s post-war development.Gauck and Merkel praised Herzog for his courage in calling for change in the country, his wisdom, as well as the deft and humourous touch he brought to the largely ceremonial post of German president, which he held from 1994 to 1999.He was a “distinctive personality” with “forward-looking courage”, Gauck wrote in a letter to Herzog’s widow, Baroness Alexandra von Berlichingen.Born in the Bavarian town of Landshut in 1934 – shortly after Adolf Hitler took power in the country – Herzog served as chief of Germany’s top court, a university head and regional government minister before being elected by a special federal assembly to the post of president in 1994.As president, Herzog adopted a folksy style while at the same time bringing moral authority to the post, which made him a popular figure in the country during the early years following unification.A prominent member of Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), Herzog won widespread praise for his appearances at events marking both the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and the liberation of the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.As a child of World War II “one of the most important tasks (for Herzog) was to keep the memory of Germany’s darkest time”, Gauck said.“Roman Herzog had promoted a dialogue between the religions, he spoke out for integration and against any form of xenophobia and right-wing extremism as well as pointing out at an early stage the problems facing the globalised world,” Sigmar Gabriel, the head of the Social Democrats, wrote to Herzog’s widow.In her tribute, Merkel said Germany has lost one of its most popular presidents praising him as a straight talker.With Herzog’s death “we Germans lose not only a very popular former president, but a patriot who has served our country in many ways”, Merkel said.“He liked straight-talking, was unpretentious, humourous and ironic about himself,” the chancellor said, adding that his 1997 speech calling for comprehensive reforms in Germany remains unforgettable.“In clear language, he always expressed his conviction that the country must constantly develop and renew itself.”After leaving the presidential palace in Berlin in 1999, Herzog retained his interest in civil rights, chairing a European Convention, which drafted the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.