Candidate as CDU vice-president
“Independent actor”, not just “set”: Karin Prien reads the riot act to the white CDU men
Could become one of the strong women in the CDU in the future: Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Education Karin Prien
© Christoph Soeder / DPA
Laschet succession unexplained, too few women in leadership, problems with diversity: the CDU is struggling to arrive in the 21st century. Karin Prien is someone who wants to change that. The education minister from Schleswig-Holstein is running as deputy party leader. Who is the woman?
Merz, Röttgen, Brinkhaus, now also Helge Braun … The list of male candidates to succeed Armin Laschet as CDU chairman is long. What is noticeable: none of the white men from North Rhine-Westphalia have dared to take cover so far. The application deadline is November 17th. But when it comes to party leadership, the sea is still calm.
After all, there has been movement in the ranks of possible deputies. The Schleswig-Holstein Education Minister Karin Prien has announced her candidacy as deputy CDU leader. “I would like to bring my experiences and perspectives to the new CDU presidium. That is why I will run for deputy party chairman at the party congress,” said Prien, who has been a member of the CDU federal executive committee, the editorial network Germany, since January. On the other hand, she turned down a candidacy for the successor to party leader Armin Laschet. The CDU wants to attend a party congress on 21./22. As a consequence of the crashing election defeat, elect a new leadership in Hanover on January 1st, including five deputy party leaders.
She wanted to get fully involved in the state elections in Schleswig-Holstein on May 8, so that the CDU around Prime Minister Daniel Günther could win again, said Prien as a reason why she did not reach for the top post straight away. “All of this cannot be done on the side. Leading the party in this situation requires a level of commitment and attention that cannot be afforded without neglecting other things.” In addition, she would like to continue to be minister in Schleswig-Holstein. At the same time, Prien emphasized: “In the field of education and research, the Union must again have the right to provide the decisive impetus. In addition to climate protection and digitization, this is the topic of the future.”
Prien is considered liberal and opinionated
In the CDU, Prien is regarded as an opinionated representative of the liberal wing. She has been the state minister in Schleswig-Holstein since 2017. She was born in Amsterdam in 1965, where her Jewish grandparents had emigrated. Prien is also involved in the Jewish Forum in the CDU, which she joined in 1981. The hapless chairman Armin Laschet brought Prien into his future team in the final phase of his election campaign. She recently caused a sensation with her clearly presented criticism of the former head of the protection of the constitution, Hans-Georg Maaßen, whose Bundestag candidacy for the CDU in southern Thuringia she commented with the words “what Mr Maaßen is actually looking for in the CDU”.
The 56-year-old education politician also expresses herself resolutely on the current efforts of the trafficked male candidates to bring suitable women into her team: “I find it strange that the only thing that seems to be important now is that individual candidates meet with a crowd of women Surrounded by fellow campaigners, who then come across as a garnish “, says Prien. This is not their self-image. She claims to be an independent actor. “For the CDU it is about more than the question of how the gentlemen from NRW get their rights.”
In addition to Prien, other women are now also traded as part of the future party leadership. Former Bundestag President Rita Süssmuth had expressly encouraged party friends at the weekend to run for party chairmanship. “If no woman competes, that would not be a good sign,” said Süssmuth to the editorial network in Germany. And brought Prien, but also the previous ministers of state Annette Widmann-Mauz and Monika Grüters into play.
And other women will probably also work out their chances of playing an important role in the future CDU leadership. Silvia Breher, who was elected as deputy chairwoman only two years ago, should want to run again. The previous deputy parliamentary group leader and digital politician Nadine Schön from Saarland is also considered a talent with a future. Just like Serap Güler, who recently entered the Bundestag, she was State Secretary for Integration in Laschet’s NRW cabinet.