Merz honors Rita Süssmuth as a “great politician”
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) honored the late former President of the Bundestag Rita Süssmuth as a “great politician”. “Rita Süssmuth has been committed to Germany throughout her life,” von Merz said in a statement. She was a role model and champion for equal rights and the political effectiveness of women.
Süssmuth died at the age of 88. The CDU politician was a member of the Bundestag from 1987 to 2002 and was its president from 1988 to 1998. From 1985 to 1988 she was also Federal Minister for Youth, Family, Women and Health. (dpa)
Steinmeier: Süssmuth was a fighter for democracy
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier paid tribute to the late former President of the Bundestag Rita Süssmuth as a “great woman and a passionate fighter for democracy”. A letter of condolence to Süssmuth’s daughter said: “Rita Süssmuth always led the way, was a pioneer, pioneer and role model, especially for many women.” This was announced by the Federal President’s Office.
Steinmeier wrote that she shaped the office of President of the Bundestag through her personal style and gave the office weight in terms of domestic and foreign policy. The Federal President also recalled Süssmuth’s role in the fight against AIDS. There she focused more on education and advice in order to confront and overcome the illness.
Süssmuth died at the age of 88. The CDU politician was a member of the Bundestag from 1987 to 2002 and was its president from 1988 to 1998. From 1985 to 1988 she was also Federal Minister for Youth, Family, Women and Health. (dpa)
CDU state leader Lechner pays tribute to Süssmuth
Lower Saxony’s CDU leader Sebastian Lechner has honored the late former Bundestag President Rita Süssmuth as a “formative voice of unity” and “women’s policy”. Germany is losing a great democrat, a passionate fighter for equal rights and a politician who accompanied our country with a clear compass in one of its most formative phases, said Lechner.
Lechner emphasized that Lower Saxony was also closely linked to Süssmuth’s political work. In the 1987 federal election, Süssmuth ran for the first time in the Göttingen constituency, which she then won three times in a row. In 1998 she entered the Bundestag for the last time via the CDU’s Lower Saxony state list. (dpa)
Klöckner: “Political exceptional phenomenon”
The current President of the Bundestag, Julia Klöckner (CDU), recently called Süssmuth a “political exception” and particularly emphasized her enthusiasm and persistence. Now her predecessor Rita Süssmuth died shortly before her 89th birthday. The professor of educational science stood for feminist positions from an early age – the feminist Alice Schwarzer Süssmuth was once ennobled as “Lovely Rita”. However, she did not have much support in her party, the CDU, which is why she was ridiculed within the party as “Lonely Rita”. On X shreKlöckner: “Rita Süssmuth’s distinctive voice will be missed by our country. What she has achieved will remain. Despite everything that remained unfinished, it is up to us to persevere, to think further, to move forward – openly and honestly, as Rita Süssmuth would have done.” (afp/taz)
Laschet: “Role model and good friend”
Armin Laschet (CDU) also spoke on X expressed his condolences: “As a young speechwriter, I met her almost 40 years ago. She is one of the most impressive women I have ever met.” The former CDU federal chairman described Süssmuth as a good friend and role model. (taz)
Strack-Zimmermann: “Your legacy remains”
European MP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) also took part on X Farewell to Süssmuth. “She belonged to that generation of female politicians who demonstrated poise, even when the headwind came from within their own ranks,” writes Strack-Zimmermann there. “Her legacy remains: the courage to take responsibility, respect for people and the firm belief that politics must be more than just the administration of power.” (taz)
Also condolences from Poland
The Polish Foreign Ministry described Süssmuth as “one of the most outstanding personalities in German public life”. In dem Post praised how much the CDU politician has done for relations between Germany and Poland. (taz)