Wednesday, December 1st, 2021
Grüner does not want to run for office
Hofreiter gives up office as parliamentary group leader
When it comes to awarding the ministerial posts to the Ampel government, Anton Hofreiter loses out to Cem Özdemir. Now it is known that the Green wants to withdraw from the top of his group. His future is open – according to party leader Baerbock, he should play a “strong role” in parliament.
The Green politician Anton Hofreiter apparently wants to withdraw from the leadership of his party in the German Bundestag. This is reported by the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. Accordingly, the 51-year-old, who has chaired the parliamentary group together with Katrin Göring-Eckardt since 2013, does not want to run for office again. The decision was made at the end of last week, reports the SZ. Hofreiter’s personal colleague, Volker Leib, confirmed this on request.
What is unclear, however, is what Hofreiter’s political future will look like with the Greens. In the new federal government, the party-left Bayer will not take over a ministerial office after the party leadership has decided in favor of Realo Cem Özdemir as future Minister of Agriculture. For the Greens in the Bundestag, Hofreiter had distinguished himself primarily as a traffic expert.
In view of the decision against Hofreiter, Green leader Annalena Baerbock sees no return of the wing fighting in her party despite the quarrels about the allocation of posts. “It was jerky, there are moments like this again and again in life – also in party life,” said the foreign minister-designate of the daily newspaper “taz”. “From the past few years we also know how strong we are when we act as one party. We will now carry that into the government.” Regarding the future of the Hofreiter, Baerbock only said: “He will play a strong role in the Bundestag.”
Dröge wants to become the leader of the parliamentary group
In conversation for the new parliamentary group leadership are the previous parliamentary managing director Britta Haßelmann and the MP Katharina Dröge. Haßelmann is given good chances. The 59-year-old Realo politician has many years of Bundestag experience, has repeatedly worked with the FDP on opposition initiatives and is highly valued and popular in both wings.
The economic politician Dröge announced that she would run for the dual leadership of the parliamentary group. Dröge belongs to the party left. “I would like to take responsibility for the time that lies ahead of us,” she wrote in a letter of application to the Green MPs. “We can only be successful as a team. And I would like to lead this team for the next few years as one of two group chairmen.” Dröge was, among other things, a member of the parliamentary group executive and parliamentary manager in the Green parliamentary group.
The Greens want to decide on the new parliamentary group and the composition of committees in the coming week. Katrin Göring-Eckardt also no longer wants to compete.