Barbara Stamm was a great fighter: for the weakest in society, for social issues in the CSU, for her career in the party after cancer – and for more power for women at all management levels of the CSU.
The Lower Franconian was CSU deputy leader for many years, became a minister in the cabinet of Edmund Stoiber (CSU) and later stood for a decade as president at the head of the Bavarian state parliament. She was not only the vote queen of the CSU for a long time, but was also considered the “social conscience” of the party. Barbara Stamm died in her hometown of Würzburg in the morning after a long illness, as the Bavarian state parliament announced. She was 77 years old.
Forced Resignation
As a Würzburg city councillor, the trained educator made it into the state parliament in the 1970s, ten years later the then Prime Minister Franz Josef Strauss (CSU) made her State Secretary for Social Affairs. Stamm was unable to win the Würzburg mayoral election in 1990 – but Stamm was never discouraged by defeats.
Four years later Prime Minister Stoiber promoted her to Minister for Social Affairs and Health, her favorite cabinet post. During the BSE crisis in 2001, however, Barbara Stamm felt abandoned by Stoiber and urged to resign. Stamm told the BR that there are political decisions, you have your back against the wall and you can’t make any other decisions than saying: “That’s it”.
Difficult childhood
At grassroots level, Stamm has always been very popular. As the Lower Franconian CSU list leader, she regularly achieved record results in state elections. Even after her retirement from the cabinet, she remained deputy CSU chairwoman. In the state parliament, she first became vice president and then, in 2008, the non-partisan president of the state parliament.
She was shaped by her difficult childhood, alternately in a foster family, in an orphanage and with her deaf mother – with an alcoholic stepfather. Luckily, it didn’t do her any harm, also because there were always people who would never have given up on her, for example a nun in the home and a religion teacher, says Stamm herself. A loan enabled Barbara Stamm to train as a kindergarten teacher in the 1960s. With her husband she had three children.
Stamm fought for a liberal refugee policy
On her 65th birthday, the then CSU chairman Horst Seehofer praised her for standing for the C and the S in the CSU – and thus for “core capital of our party”.
Barbara Stamm has always criticized Seehofer’s course in refugee policy. After the poor CSU state election results in 2018, she said that the CSU had overstated the issue of asylum and refugees. She always pointed out that you can’t make up as much on the right as you lose in the middle.
Stamm himself missed out on entering the state parliament again in 2018. Although she had one of the best second vote results, due to the massive CSU losses, not a single CSU list candidate made it into parliament. Stamm had been a member of the state parliament for 42 years.
appeals against populism
In 2019, Stamm was awarded the papal Order of Gregory. In his laudatory speech, Bishop Franz Jung praised her as “an outstanding politician who has always known that she is a Christian and a Catholic – even when she was criticized for it by those who thought differently”.
Stamm’s admonishing words remained audible even after she left the state parliament. For example, her appeals against populism – her warning that the fringes on the right and left in society should not become stronger. Barbara Stamm has always remained true to her role as the “social conscience” of the CSU.
Aigner: passionate fighter for the weak
State President Ilse Aigner (CSU) emphasized that Barbara Stamm, as the first woman to head the Bavarian State Parliament, had earned great respect and a high reputation. “With her, we are losing a great role model for women in politics, a passionate fighter for the weak in society and a convinced democrat.” Stamm was a popular and highly esteemed politician across all party lines, who for decades worked primarily for the poorer and weaker in society and gave them a voice.
Söder: A role model for many people
Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) reacted “with great sadness and dismay” to the death of Barbara Stamm. “She was Bavaria’s social conscience, benchmark and role model in action for her fellow human beings.” Stamm has always stood up for the concerns of the citizens, her big heart belonged to the families and especially to the weakest. “With her helpfulness and warmth, she was a role model for many people – including me personally. I bow to her life’s work, I will miss her as an adviser and as a person.”
In honor of Barbara Stamm, the Prime Minister ordered mourning flags to be displayed in all state offices in Bavaria for tomorrow, Thursday and for the day of the funeral.