GERMANY/FILE: President Christian Wulff resigns, bowing to the pressure after months of scandals over money, power and political favours
Record ID:
858136
GERMANY/FILE: President Christian Wulff resigns, bowing to the pressure after months of scandals over money, power and political favours
- Title: GERMANY/FILE: President Christian Wulff resigns, bowing to the pressure after months of scandals over money, power and political favours
- Date: 18th February 2012
- Summary: VARIOUS OF NEWSPAPER HEADLINES OF WULFF IN THE RAIN
- Embargoed: 4th March 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- City:
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAC2N52S91OJJDKGKFT2XTOGSBD
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: To lose one president may be considered a misfortune. To lose two within two years looks like carelessness.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel may be reflecting on Oscar Wilde's aphorism about parents after scandals over money, power and political favours drove President Christian Wulff to resign on Friday (February 17).
Media stood camped outside the presidential residence, Schloss Bellevue, waiting for a sign of the 'former' president who finally bowed to the pressure at 11 a.m.
Wulff's problems started with a house and a story first published by German tabloid newspaper, Bild, that Wulff had received debt favours from the wife of a German businessman, Egon Geerkens to buy a home. Wulff was later asked by Lower Saxony's parliament whether he had dealings with Geerkens - a fact he denied.
After details of a phone call to Bild made by Wulff from on holiday emerged, where the president threatened the newspaper should they publish details of the private loan, it was downhill for the state leader of Lower Saxony from 2003 - 2010.
The president apologised for leaving the Bild message and belatedly apologised for misleading the state parliament about the cheap 500,000 euro home loan and as the German chancellor came out in his support it looked like he might weather the storm.
Then further details emerged of holiday favours from celebrity friends and news that the Geerkens loan had also been favorably cashed at BW bank and the clamour for Wulff's resignation grew.
In an live broadcast statement on the scandal Wulff explained 'his side' but instead of emerging stronger, was derided for his self-pitying response.
After two months of intense media fire independent prosecutors have deemed the home-loan affair serious enough to warrant formal investigation and on Thursday called for a withdrawal of the president's immunity to start an investigation over abuse of power.
Finally on Friday, Wulff, installed in the largely ceremonial office in 2010, after a short speech declaring he was no longer able to embody the nation's conscience, left office.
For the German public, who will now be 'led' by CSU head Horst Seehofer until a new presidernt is elected, Wulff's departure comes not a moment too soon, by January, only 31 percent saw him as trustworthy, down from 74 percent last August.
Now Merkel will work with opposition parties to find a consensus candidate to replace her tarnished president.
An unusual move, but possibly may be an attempt to avoid a potentially divisive national debate about who should take over as head of state at a time when Merkel wants to focus on tackling the euro zone debt crisis.
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