German politicians defend European idea in Ash Wednesday speeches

BERLIN, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming European Parliament elections were featured in many of the speeches delivered by German politicians on Wednesday, a Christian holy day of prayer, fasting and repentance.

The so-called political Ash Wednesday events take place every year and feature many of Germany's top politicians holding colorful speeches and engaging in verbal sparring with rival parties.

Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder, head of the Christian Social Union (CSU) party, attacked the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party for wanting Germany to leave the European Union (EU). Soeder said if Germany withdrew from the EU, it would be the end of freedom, the end of prosperity "and the end of the European idea as we know it."

In view of the upcoming European elections, the Bavaria-based Christian Social Union (CSU) party was simultaneously translating its political Ash Wednesday event into English for the first time.

Katarina Barley, the German Social Democratic Party's (SPD) top candidate for the European elections, said "what we need is a truly united Europe, one that sees itself as a unit."

Germans will head to the polls to vote in the European Parliament elections on May 26. Members of Germany's political parties can run for 96 seats allocated to the country.

Nicola Beer, top candidate of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) for the European elections, called for a "Europe with charisma." Beer said the European elections will be decisive in deciding the future direction of Europe and stressed that "Europe is too important to be left to populists - whether from the right or from the left."

In her political Ash Wednesday speech, Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock made a plea for cohesion in Europe and said that Europe is the best example that "peace can be learned."

In contrast to pro-European speeches, AfD member Stephan Protschka said "the EU is a construct that no one needs."

The AfD's European election program calls for Germany's withdrawal from the EU if the Eurosceptic parties in the European Parliament fail to push through reforms during the next parliamentary term.

Most German citizens do not side with the AfD's position, however. A recent Eurobarometer survey showed that 79 percent of Germans surveyed consider EU membership to be a good thing, with three out of four Germans rating EU membership as a benefit for Germany.

The European Parliament represents the citizens of the European Union and is directly elected every five years. The European Parliament currently has 751 members but the number would fall to 705 after Brexit.