Word: krenz
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Those jeers apparently never reached East Berlin. Last week party elders demonstrated just how out of touch they are with the masses by awarding Krenz the country's top political trophy. Erich Honecker, for 18 years the country's unsmiling, unbudging leader, was relieved of his posts as head of state, Communist Party chief and chairman of the National Defense Council. Krenz, his protege, was elevated to all three positions. Technically, the 77-year-old Honecker resigned, citing the poor health that has plagued him since he underwent gallbladder surgery last August. But few East Germans doubted that Honecker...
...Krenz, who had long been expected to succeed his mentor, will get no honeymoon, since the change at the top does not alter the crisis down below. Given Krenz's hard-line convictions, there is little expectation that he will be the leader who will guide East Germany along the path toward social and economic reform. Krenz may turn out to be only a transitional figure, put in place, like the Soviet Union's Konstantin Chernenko, to warm the chair for a more visionary thinker. "The real reformers will take over power in the next six to twelve months," predicts...
Analysts were united at least in this: Krenz is no Mikhail Gorbachev. True, Gorbachev was no Gorbachev when he ascended to power almost five years ago. But while Gorbachev was aligned early on with reformist factions within the Communist Party, Krenz is indelibly marked as Honecker's creation. The son of a tailor, Krenz joined the Young Pioneers in his early youth and became a full-fledged Communist Party member by 18. He spent three years at the party academy in Moscow, then returned home to rise quickly through the party ranks. He has been a member of the party...
...Krenz is the youngest member of the Politburo. He is also among the members most widely distrusted and reviled by citizens. Rumors circulate about both his drinking and his health. "This man is a technician of power, a man of the central party machine," said Fred Oldenburg, a senior analyst with the Federal Institute for East European and International Studies in Cologne. East Germans mockingly call Krenz a "professional youth" because he has continued to dabble in youth affairs despite his age, organizing and attending rock concerts that are intended to pacify restless youngsters. A West German television crew, interviewing...
...Krenz is also regarded with suspicion by many because of his connections with the Stasi, or secret police. Few citizens seem persuaded that Krenz had a true change of heart when he ordered police forces to stand back during the demonstrations that continue to spread like a brush fire, last week drawing 100,000 people into the streets of Leipzig. Many point instead to his comments on recent trips to China and West Germany, during which he expressed support for the Beijing leadership's crackdown on the pro-democracy movement...