Favors scandal sees Germany's president quit
Source: Agencies |
February 18, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
GERMANY'S president resigned yesterday in a scandal over favors he allegedly received before becoming head of state, creating a domestic distraction for Chancellor Angela Merkel as she grapples with Europe's debt crisis.
Christian Wulff announced his resignation a day after the slow-burning affair escalated dramatically with a request by prosecutors for Parliament to lift his immunity from prosecution over his relationship with a film producer in his previous job as governor of Lower Saxony. Those benefits allegedly included paying for a luxury hotel stay in 2007.
Wulff said Germany needs "a president who is supported by the confidence not just of a majority of citizens, but a wide majority."
"The developments of recent days and months have shown that this confidence, and therefore my ability to act, have been lastingly impaired," a somber Wulff said in a brief statement at the president's Bellevue palace, with his wife, Bettina, at his side.
Merkel, who called off a trip to Rome to address the situation, voiced "deep regret" at his resignation. She moved to limit the fallout and try to ensure a smooth succession, saying she would seek agreement with the main opposition parties on the next president.
Wulff is stepping down after less than two years in the job. He was Merkel's candidate for the largely ceremonial presidency in 2010; before that, he was a deputy leader of her conservative party and governor of Lower Saxony state.
The speaker of the upper house of Parliament - Bavarian governor Horst Seehofer, a member of Merkel's conservative bloc - now takes over the presidential duties on an interim basis.
A special parliamentary assembly made up of lower-house lawmakers and representatives of Germany's 16 states will have to elect a successor within 30 days.
It wasn't immediately obvious who might attract consensus support. Wulff emerged as president from a messy election in 2010 in which the opposition's candidate, former East German human rights activist Joachim Gauck, drew several votes from Merkel's coalition.
The Wulff scandal hasn't yet had any impact on Merkel's popularity, which has been running high amid her hard-nosed leadership of the eurozone debt crisis.
"Wulff's resignation should not have any direct impact on German economic policies," said Carsten Brzeski, an economist at ING.
Christian Wulff announced his resignation a day after the slow-burning affair escalated dramatically with a request by prosecutors for Parliament to lift his immunity from prosecution over his relationship with a film producer in his previous job as governor of Lower Saxony. Those benefits allegedly included paying for a luxury hotel stay in 2007.
Wulff said Germany needs "a president who is supported by the confidence not just of a majority of citizens, but a wide majority."
"The developments of recent days and months have shown that this confidence, and therefore my ability to act, have been lastingly impaired," a somber Wulff said in a brief statement at the president's Bellevue palace, with his wife, Bettina, at his side.
Merkel, who called off a trip to Rome to address the situation, voiced "deep regret" at his resignation. She moved to limit the fallout and try to ensure a smooth succession, saying she would seek agreement with the main opposition parties on the next president.
Wulff is stepping down after less than two years in the job. He was Merkel's candidate for the largely ceremonial presidency in 2010; before that, he was a deputy leader of her conservative party and governor of Lower Saxony state.
The speaker of the upper house of Parliament - Bavarian governor Horst Seehofer, a member of Merkel's conservative bloc - now takes over the presidential duties on an interim basis.
A special parliamentary assembly made up of lower-house lawmakers and representatives of Germany's 16 states will have to elect a successor within 30 days.
It wasn't immediately obvious who might attract consensus support. Wulff emerged as president from a messy election in 2010 in which the opposition's candidate, former East German human rights activist Joachim Gauck, drew several votes from Merkel's coalition.
The Wulff scandal hasn't yet had any impact on Merkel's popularity, which has been running high amid her hard-nosed leadership of the eurozone debt crisis.
"Wulff's resignation should not have any direct impact on German economic policies," said Carsten Brzeski, an economist at ING.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
