Angelika Schorer leads the viewer into the living room, stands between the bookshelf and Herrgottswinkel, a camera panning on shooting targets. In her application video as President of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK), the CSU member of the state parliament from the Allgäu introduces herself. For two decades she was involved at the district and district level with the Red Cross and got to know people “full of enthusiasm”. She wants to “work out the strengths in order to make a difference” – and offers “experience, knowledge and assertiveness”.
Holger Krems from Augsburg, studied dentist and health economist, shows himself in the video in a rather sterile environment, white shirt with BRK logo on the collar. He is “Red Cross since childhood”, from retirement homes and clinics to emergency services. He wanted “our mission, which is full of tradition and so motivating, to reach even more people”. And, oh yes, he doesn’t belong to any party.
The election of the new president is on the weekend
At the weekend, the Red Cross in the Free State elects a new president. Theo Zellner is not running again after eight years. He is “an age at which you can let go,” said the former CSU district administrator of Cham and president of the district assembly. This means that the management of a not only highly reputable but also powerful organization is to be awarded: more than 26,000 full-time employees, 750,000 sponsoring members, 180,000 volunteers on standby, in the rescue service, social and welfare work, in the water rescue and mountain rescue organizations. A pillar of society, politically independent. It is about maintaining the efficiency, which especially in the pandemic Red Cross people are proving everywhere and often without looking at the clock. Besides, it’s about politics – and a little bit about the self-image of the CSU.
Historically, no CSU politician as the top Red Cross would be relatively unusual. A look into the ancestral gallery also shows a social democratic and a non-party presidency, but the Christian social party book is almost the norm. “Relatively unusual” is also that there is more than one suggestion, according to the Rotkreuz podcast “7 good reasons”, which recently produced extra editions and gave both applicants a detailed and balanced voice. There it is also reported from the grassroots view that the choice is not only advantageous – because one or the other will lose and there is a risk of being in a dispute or even divided. It’s an election campaign somehow, with real events and virtually online. The exchange of positions is “refreshing”, says a BRK spokesman, “that also brings us further in terms of content and creates a strong base.” Due to Corona, the state assembly in Munich only runs with minimal presence, 400 delegates and interested parties are online. Votes are cast in decentralized polling stations.
Angelika Schorer, member of the CSU state parliament, wants to become president of the BRK.
(Photo: private)
If you listen to the BRK: Many prefer not to say the wrong thing. At the same time, there are also supporters who provide information on request; some things are also written on Twitter. Everything is dimmed, just no battle. The fact that Zellner decided to quit quite late and surprisingly for many contributed to the situation; Krems quickly got into position, Schorer had initially been confirmed as head of the district. She was then asked from within the BRK to take responsibility. Some whisper that the CSU suddenly needed a candidate. That’s not true, says Schorer.
Holger Krems from Augsburg is a dentist and health economist and “Red Cross since childhood,” as he says.
(Photo: private)
In the Podcast discussions with the Munich Red Cross member Martin Krumsdorf Krems referred to “further development, modernization and digitization”. At the grassroots level he often hears the phrase “you have to” and wants to make it a reality as a “somewhat larger cog in the social gear”: “independent, as the association and I think it is right”. Schorer emphasized, for example, that it was possible for her “not only to find the right words in the right place, but also to find an open door”. Even as the head of the Swabian BRK district, it was never about parties, always about issues. “I’ve proven that I can absolutely separate them.”
Well, it is no secret that the CSU volunteers are part of the self-definition, estimated half the parliamentary group is involved in the BRK. The water watch is headed by CSU MP Thomas Huber, previously Ilse Aigner. Incidentally, the German Red Cross also leads a CSU woman: the former Federal Minister Gerda Hasselfeldt. Many in the party also see the BRK as a building block in the pre-political space, for presence in the country, for contact with the people. Nevertheless: Brigitte Meyer, a former member of the FDP state parliament, and Paul Wengert (SPD), once also in the Maximilianeum and still formerly mayor of Augsburg, are vice-presidents. They are both running again, and now the green member of the state parliament, Andreas Krahl, is applying.
Non-partisanship is one of the principles
Nevertheless, words such as “Erbhof” are making the rounds in the scene these days, the BRK should not be such a for the CSU. At Zellner, even if the term of office is considered successful and, of course, neutral, some mention casual impressions: Even more bite against the state government could have used some debate, currently for example in vaccination logistics. In general, Zellner sometimes forms “the compromise within the association” instead of going out with maximum demands. That could increase with an active MP, one hears.
The “seven good reasons”, the seven Red Cross principles, are often mentioned shortly before the election. Bipartisan is part of it, some say emphatically. Others reply: humanity is also part of it, so fairness and decency. This should be remembered before one generally suspects Schorer of a lack of independence.