Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser wants to become the SPD’s top candidate in Hesse – and keep her post in the Federal Cabinet in the event of an election defeat.
“It’s important to me that you find out from me: Yes, I’m running for office,” she wrote in a letter to the employees of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, which is available to the Tagesspiegel. “If the voters decide differently in the democratic competition, I will continue to fulfill my responsibility as Federal Minister of the Interior.”
For months there has been speculation as to whether Faeser is aiming for the top candidate in Hesse. Now it is safe. This Friday, the Hessian SPD will officially decide on the personnel. “You know me: I compete to win,” wrote Faeser.
She wants to be the first head of government in her home state, which is “paralyzed” after 25 years of CDU-led governments.
The 52-year-old described it as a “democratic matter of course” that people who hold offices compete in elections”. According to Faeser, she has “the full backing of the Federal Chancellor” for wanting to continue to head the Ministry of the Interior “out of responsibility for our country” in difficult times. The decisive conversation with Olaf Scholz is said to have only taken place on Wednesday.
Criticism of Faeser’s dual role
The opposition had already warned in advance that Faeser would retain her position during the election campaign. “Every hour of the election campaign in Hesse, Ms. Faeser is absent from her actual job. That can develop into a real security risk for Germany,” said CSU domestic politician Andrea Lindholz.
But the traffic light coalition partners also criticized Faeser’s actions on Thursday. “The management of the Federal Ministry of the Interior is not a part-time job,” criticized the Greens interior politician Konstantin von Notz: “Especially not in these times.”
FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai told the Tagessspiegel that the decision was “a matter for Ms. Faeser and the SPD” and that the voters would “make their judgement”. At the same time, however, he warned against taking the office lightly: “The domestic political challenges facing Germany are immense. There must be no let-up in efforts here.”
Faeser explained in Berlin that given the tense security situation in Hesse, there will only be a short election campaign: “Now is not the time to campaign.”
Faeser does not fear that if she is defeated in the October 8 election, she will end up like Norbert Röttgen. As Federal Environment Minister, the CDU politician tried to become Prime Minister in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2012 and failed. He did not want to become opposition leader in the Düsseldorf state parliament. Chancellor Angela Merkel then dismissed him as environment minister.
Faeser pointed out that she is not the first member of the federal government to take on a top candidacy in Hesse. The CDU Federal Ministers Walter Wallmann and Manfred Kanther had already done this before her.
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Source: Tagesspiegel
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