BERLIN, June 1 (UPI) -- The surprise resignation of German President Horst Koehler has plunged Europe's largest economy into a severe political crisis.
There were tears in his eyes when Koehler informed the public Monday that he would resign. Over the past days, German politicians from all parties had harshly criticized the 67-year-old for comments he made while in Afghanistan.
In a May 22 radio interview Koehler had said that Germany, Europe's largest economy and one dependent on exports and free trade, must be prepared to use military force to "protect our interests, for example, free-trade routes, or to prevent regional instability which might negatively effect our trade, jobs and wages."
For days, the interview remained unnoticed until a young politics student contacted several media outlets to inquire why the comments hadn't resulted in a harsher media response. Soon enough, politicians from all parties accused Koehler of supporting gunboat diplomacy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel failed to come to the aid of her political ally.
All this might have been too much for the president, the holder of a largely representational but popular post. Standing next to his wife Eva Luisa, Koehler Monday read a statement announcing his immediate resignation.
"I regret that my comments in an important and difficult question for our nation were able to lead to misunderstandings," Koehler said. He lashed out at critics who had suggested he supported military "missions that are not covered by the constitution."
"This criticism lacks any basis," he said. "It also is lacking the necessary respect for the presidential office."
"It was an honor for me to serve Germany as president," he added. "I thank the many people in Germany who have put their trust in me and supported my work. I ask for you to understand my decision."
The resignation -- the first of a German president in four decades -- comes at the worst time for the conservative government of Merkel.
A week ago, another conservative leader, Roland Koch, citing his frustration with politics, resigned as the state premier of Hesse; moreover, Merkel, busy trying to consolidate the overstretched German budget, has come under fire in Europe for her hesitant handling of the financial crisis; and finally, her conservative Christian Democratic Union has had to endure a heavy loss at a state election last month in North Rhine Westphalia.
Back in 2004, Merkel, then an opposition leader, together with Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle decided to push through Koehler's nomination as president, hoping that he would be an ally down the road in her career.
Merkel said she was shocked when Koehler told her about his plans two hours before his resignation. The chancellor tried to convince Koehler to rethink his move. Observers say she used the "harshest possible words," warning Koehler of the chaotic effects that his resignation would undoubtedly carry.
"He was very determined, he had already made the decision and I couldn't change his mind," Merkel told German public broadcaster ARD in an interview.
While Koehler's resignation was criticized in Germany as too harsh a reaction, observers in Europe warned that the German media and politicians who willfully misinterpreted Koehler's remarks were destabilizing European politics.
"Those whose loud voices called for his head are now part of the problem and will never contribute to the solution," British newspaper The Guardian wrote in an editorial. "The anti-politics and anti-politician mood now unleashed in Germany and elsewhere in Europe is ugly and is doing damage to representative democracy."
A new president will be elected June 30. Until then, the current head of the Bundesrat, Germany's upper house of parliament, will become the temporary head of state.
