Portrait: Schäuble: A record parliamentarian with heart and soul

portrait
Schäuble: A record parliamentarian with heart and soul

Some called him the puppet master, others called him the gray eminence or even the sphinx because he was so difficult to understand. It is undisputed Wolfgang Schäuble has one of the most outstanding careers in German history. An assassination attempt by a deranged man in October 1990, which forced Schäuble into a wheelchair, did not change this.

Schäuble, whose father Karl was already a member of the Baden state parliament for the CDU, achieved a lot in his life. He was head of the Chancellery, twice Interior Minister and Finance Minister, he led the CDU/CSU parliamentary group and finally headed the Bundestag as President. No one has been a member of parliament longer than him, and he was sometimes called a “perpetual member of parliament”. In 1972 he moved into the “Hohes Haus” for the first time, to which he belonged without interruption until his death on Tuesday evening at the age of 81. His companions didn’t always have it easy with the Baden native.

Schäuble and Kohl – A close relationship ends in a break

Chancellor Helmut Kohl made Schäuble head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks in 1984, and then Federal Minister of the Interior from 1989 to 1991. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Schäuble negotiated the unification treaty in the GDR and was one of the architects of reunification. As head of the Union faction, Schäuble secured Kohl’s government power from 1991 onwards. Kohl ran again for the 1998 federal election, but named Schäuble as his preferred successor at a later date. This shouldn’t happen. The Union loses the election. But Schäuble becomes party leader.

Soon afterwards, a donation scandal shook the CDU. It costs Kohl the honorary chairmanship, but the turbulence also affects Schäuble. Under pressure from ever-increasing revelations about a cash donation of 100,000 marks from arms dealer Karlheinz Schreiber, Schäuble resigned as chairman of the party and parliamentary group in February 2000. There is a break with his former friend and sponsor Kohl. The crack can never be repaired again. Schäuble’s younger brother Thomas, who died in 2013 and was once Interior Minister of Baden-Württemberg, later said: “I detest Mr. Kohl. And I can speak for the whole family.”

Schäuble and Merkel – Loyal despite occasional differences

Without Schäuble, Angela Merkel’s career might have turned out differently. After Kohl’s departure from the party leadership, the new CDU leader Schäuble made the former minister general secretary. When Schäuble was swept away by the donation scandal, the party base swept Merkel to the top of the party. As Chancellor, she appointed Schäuble again as Interior Minister in 2005, and then as Finance Minister in 2009. In the Greek crisis, the two have different opinions, but Merkel sticks by her finance minister, even when he fails to attend a crisis meeting to save the euro for health reasons. On the plus side as finance minister is the “black zero”, i.e. a federal budget without new debts.

Despite occasional differences, Schäuble remains loyal to Merkel. At the end of her term in office, he has praise and a little criticism for her. During the election campaign, he explained in the “Tagesspiegel” that he sees Merkel’s decision to give up the CDU chairmanship in 2018 as a reason for the “tight race” between the Union and the SPD. On the other hand, he praised an event organized by the news portal “The Pioneer”: “Angela Merkel has ensured stability for us in 16 years with incredible disruptive changes. That is a great achievement.” Schäuble appreciates their modesty, but also suggests that he would have occasionally wished for more decisive leadership.

Schäuble and the CDU

Although his time as party chairman was only short, Schäuble remains one of the most influential politicians in his party and is involved in the top committees. In the thriller surrounding the 2021 candidacy for chancellor, he is siding with CDU chairman Armin Laschet, who wins the race against CSU boss Markus Söder but loses the race for the chancellorship. Only after the 2021 federal election, which the CDU/CSU lost, did Schäuble withdraw from the leadership committees.

Schäuble and the Bundestag

With 45 years of parliamentary experience, Schäuble was elected President of the Bundestag in 2017, the second highest office in the Federal Republic. Only that of the Federal President is above it. Schäuble was traded several times for this as well; Merkel’s necessary support was probably lacking. As President of the Bundestag, Schäuble faces two major challenges. When dealing with a strong AfD faction, he chooses clear words, but not too harsh a tone. However, his efforts to reform the electoral law in order to prevent the number of representatives from further inflating remain unsuccessful. He essentially fails because of his own ranks.

Unlike the Chancellor, Schäuble will not leave politics in 2021 after the Union’s loss of power and will run again for the Bundestag, of which he has been a member for almost half a century. In his constituency of Offenburg he wins the direct mandate again. Schäuble does not follow the example of other CDU politicians such as Peter Altmaier or Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who give up the mandate they have won in favor of younger people. A spokesman says he wants to carry out the mandate for the full term.

Schäuble remains a simple member of parliament. As senior president – after a rule change to the disadvantage of the AfD, he is now the politician with the most years in the Bundestag – Schäuble opens the first session and promotes open discourse and self-confident MPs. Schäuble saw himself as a “parliamentarian with heart and soul,” as he once said.

dpa