Germany: Head of state steps down

[Middle-aged Europe]

Well congratulations lefties, you just pushed one of the best men in Berlin out.
Be very proud.

The idea that a president resigns just because he was criticized for a thing he said in an interview seems pretty far-fetched. And if it actually was the reason, it is a pretty excessive reaction to a fairly minor incident. The first resignation of a German president happened over this ?? Other presidents commit felonies before they resign.

It's a reasonable assumption that Köhler wanted to go for some time and the Afghanistan incident finally offered him a somewhat legitimate way out. Because presidents can't resign just because they don't feel like it anymore. There has to be reason, officially anyway.

In a way, it reminds a bit of the 1974 resignation of Willy Brandt. Brandt could have survived the Guillaume affair... if he had wanted to.

Köhler probably made a mistake when he decided to run for re-election last year.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Well congratulations lefties, you just pushed one of the best men in Berlin out.
Be very proud.

If Köhler thought that the federal president was something like an inerrable monarch who must not be criticized, then he didn't understand how our Republic works, and it was high time he stepped down. 

It's a pretty clear unwritten rule that the President not be criticized. I don't think that's right....but it's the way it's been done for decades.

As president, Heinrich Lübke came under fire for his supposed involvment in the buildung of forced labour camps during WWII. While it is a far more legitimate reason to criticize a president, it proves that criticism is not impossible per se.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Oh noes, not Zensursula! Horrible choice. And far from being a non-partisan one. I want Köhler back.

Not that I had any problem with a female president in general, but really: What qualifies von der Leyen except of being a woman?

Unwavering loyalty to Angela Merkel? Merkel likes to have people she can trust in key positions. On the other hand, "disloyal" people get quickly stabbed in the back... remember what happened to Friedrich Merz. And her more liberal views on family issues make her acceptable to a broader spectrum than just the CDU base. That is if you don't mind censorship.

[Middle-aged Europe]

[Middle-aged Europe]

What qualifications the Federal President needs anyway?

Being a German citizen of 40 years age or older.

This actually rules out more popular picks like Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg or Lena Meyer-Landrut.

Heh, anyway, now you German know how it is to not have a President

Since I very much prefer Jens Böhrnsen over Ursula von der Leyen as head of state, I'm gonna enjoy the president-less time as long as it lasts.

[Middle-aged Europe]

ARD reports that von der Leyen's chances are dwindling again. YAY! This means that the next one is probably even worse.

Still hoping for Lammert.

[Middle-aged Europe]

ARD reports that von der Leyen's chances are dwindling again. YAY! This means that the next one is probably even worse.

Still hoping for Lammert.

I´ve watched some TV in the morning and they mentioned Gov. Wulff from Niedersachsen.

But would he really step down as Gov. to become President ?

I read on Spiegel Online that Wulff proposed it himself.

Apparently, Merkel's choice of Ursula von der Leyen was vetoed by the CDU minister-presidents.

[Middle-aged Europe]

It seems settled now.

On June 30, the minister-president of Lower Saxony and CDU/CSU/FDP nominee Christian Wulff faces off against the former federal commissioner for the Stasi archives and SPD/Green nominee Joachim Gauck.

No word yet whether the Left will nominate a candidate of its own. The Gauck pick could piss them off.

[Middle-aged Europe]

It seems settled now.

On June 30, the minister-president of Lower Saxony and CDU/CSU/FDP nominee Christian Wulff faces off against the former federal commissioner for the Stasi archives and SPD/Green nominee Joachim Gauck.

No word yet whether the Left will nominate a candidate of its own. The Gauck pick could piss them off.

Pastor Gauck? Seriously?

Why not? It's actually a good move to counter the boring career politician the CDU has nominated. Gauck certainly won't win any Left votes, but he'll probably draw some CDU and FDP votes away from Wulff. And if he manages to do that, SPD and Greens will already have achieved their goal.

[Middle-aged Europe]

It seems settled now.

On June 30, the minister-president of Lower Saxony and CDU/CSU/FDP nominee Christian Wulff faces off against the former federal commissioner for the Stasi archives and SPD/Green nominee Joachim Gauck.

No word yet whether the Left will nominate a candidate of its own. The Gauck pick could piss them off.

Pastor Gauck? Seriously?

Why not? It's actually a good move to counter the boring career politician the CDU has nominated. Gauck certainly won't win any Left votes, but he'll probably draw some CDU and FDP votes away from Wulff. And if he manages to do that, SPD and Greens will already have achieved their goal.

I haven't said that's a mistake. I'm just suprised.

Yeah, I'm also shocked that the SPD didn't screw this up. Then again, they had help from the Greens this time.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Ah, and it seems that David McAllister is set to become new minister-president of Lower Saxony. (Scottish father, if anyone wonders about the name.)

[Middle-aged Europe]

It doesn't matter. The right majority is too big for anything to happen, so Gauck is a paper candidate (and might not have agreed otherwise.)

Obviously. Still, SPD and Greens made the best of the situation.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Probably preferable to von der Leyen. I don't expect anything exceptional from President Wulff though.

[Middle-aged Europe]

For what it's worth, the conservative "Welt" newspaper has practically endorsed Joachim Gauck. Since Thursday they published two pro-Gauck editorials ("Why Gauck would be a better choice than Wulff" and "Gauck is the right one") and today their website has an article on "This is how highly Angela Merkel thinks of Gauck", citing a speech the Chancellor gave a speech on Gauck's 70th birthday.

Still, a Wulff victory on June 30 should be expected. If Merkel doesn't manage to get "her" candidate approved by the Federal Assembly despite a clear CDU/FDP majority she could resign just as well. And this is probably the main reason why Wulff will win. Nevertheless, it's at least entertaining to see that some CDU/FDP electors will probably be forced to vote for the candidate they don't prefer personally. Which is exactly what the SPD wanted with the Gauck nomination, I guess.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Next week's SPIEGEL cover ("The better president"):

 


Hildegard Hamm-Brücher, the 1994 presidential candidate of the FDP, has also endorsed Gauck. She left the party in 2002 though, so probably not much impact here. Some East German FDP bosses are also pissed that Wulff was pushed on them, saying that they're still debating who to support in the Federal Assembly.

It's still a hopeless cause, but I've decided to commit myself to the hype.

[Middle-aged Europe]