Germany's President Wulff Resigns

After the Social Democrats and Greens in the Bundestag signaled that they would vote to lift the president's immunity from prosecution - something that has never happened in the history of the Federal Republic - it was only a matter of time before Christian Wulff would step down.  This morning the New York Times has the story: 

Mr. Wulff told reporters at Bellevue Palace, his official residence here, that he was stepping down because Germany needed a president who enjoyed the full trust of the people. “Events of the past days and weeks have shown that this trust, and with it my ability to work effectively, have been persistently impaired,” he said. He was therefore resigning quickly to make way for a successor, adding that he was convinced the legal inquiry into his behavior would lead “to a complete exoneration.” The announcement brought to an end weeks of revelations over vacations with rich friends and a series of favors and freebies that may not have been illegal but were certainly unseemly.

Wullf apparently thought he could "sit out" the scandal, but the cries for his removal from office only grew louder over time as details of "favors" continued to leak out.  Yesterday's editorial in the Berliner Zeitung was especially scathing: 

Wir haben einen Bundespräsidenten, an dem rechtschaffene Bürger verzweifeln müssen, weil ihre Werte nicht seine sind. Verkäuferinnen, Zollbeamte, Krankenschwestern, Lehrer, Angestellte, Arbeiter - sie alle dürfen nicht, was Wulff für sich in Anspruch nahm. Sie alle wurden in den vergangenen Monaten allein gelassen von der Politik, von der Kanzlerin.Niemand hat ernsthaft versucht, uns von diesem Bundespräsidenten zu erlösen. Alle haben irgendwie mitgemacht, und damit dazu beigetragen, dass nicht mehr klar ist, was Recht ist und was nicht - nur aus Gründen der politischen Bequemlichkeit. Die Folgen dieser moralischen Verschmutzung von Hirn und Herz werden wir alle noch lange spüren

(We have a president whose morality all upright citizens must doubt because their values don't match his. Shop assistants, customs officers, nurses, teachers, clerks, workers - none are allowed to do what Wulff did in his own interest. They have all been left in the lurch by politics - and by the chancellor - in recent months. No one made any serious attempt to free us of this president. Everyone was implicated in one way or another, helping to blur the distinction between what's right and what isn't - merely for reasons of political expediency. The consequences of this moral sullying of Germany's hearts and minds will remain with us for a long time to come.)

Der Spiegel speculates on who will be Wulff's successor.  The most intriguing name mentioned is Ursula von der Leyen, the current labor minister.  Having a female president beside the first woman chancellor is an interesting proposition.

Still, as I wrote earlier, the best solution would be to do away with the anachronistic office of president altogether.

Comments

[Detlef]

"Still, as I wrote earlier, the best solution would be to do away with the anachronistic office of president altogether."

I disagree.
For three reasons:
-Only the President can dissolve the "Bundestag", the German parliament. Who gets that right in your scenario? The government, Bundestag? And couldn´t that result in: "polls are looking good, let´s call for elections now" scenarios?
- The office of the President includes a staff which checks laws coming from the parliament (any obvious constitutional problems, did they follow prescribed parliamentary procedures and such). Until the President signs them, they are not in force. It only happened a few times in the past that a President didn´t sign them but it is an additional check and balance.
The German Supreme Court ("Bundesverfassungsgericht") probably would be overwhelmed with such a task.
- And somewhat tongue in cheek. :)
Just who should make all those purely representative state visits around the world? Or greet such visitors here in Germany? A Chancellor wouldn´t have the time for it. And a "lower" representative might feel like an insult to foreign head of states? :)

[David]

You make some good points, Detlev. So are you happy with Gauck?

[Strahler 70]

Happy with Gauck??? Sarrazin will be very very happy! Read this: http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/politik-und-gesellschaft-gauck-attestiert-sarrazin-mut/3685052.html

[Detlef]

"You make some good points, Detlev. So are you happy with Gauck?"

I don´t know.... :)
I would have been happy with him in 2010. Since then he said some things I´m not so happy about. I guess it´s wait and see for now.

If he turns out to be a bad President (third in a row) then I might have to rethink my support for the office.

If you want you can call me a "conservative" on this topic. :)
Get rid off the office only once it´s proven that todays political system can no longer elect adequate persons. Plus, discuss the consequences before acting.

For example I´m not sure I´d like a combined head of state / head of government system.