Wulff resignation

As soon as Germany's federal prosecutor raised suspicion as to whether Wulff should remain in office it was the end for the German president's term. And even if one must adhere to his innocence until he is proven guilty: Christian Wulff was no longer fit for the country's highest office, and further damage to it had to be averted. The resignation was due - if not to say: overdue.

Friday's announcement still came as a dramatic move for Wulff, who has been attempting to shake off the scandal for weeks with a thick skin and polite rhetoric. This wasn't possible, and for good reason, because it speaks to the independence of the judiciary and the press in Germany.

The recent stories and headlines of Wulff's use of expensive vacation homes, of his accepting invitations from businessmen, of his meshing with political and economic interests turned into a kind of trashy novel from which the protagonist, Wulff, could no longer just simply remove himself - even if he wanted to. The inquiry filed by the federal prosecutor made the severity of the situation unambiguous; these aren't trivial offenses, but rather ones that deserve serious investigation.

However, the way the resignation took place was a first for Germany: Never before had the prosecution moved to have the immunity of the president lifted. Such a step is as consequent as it is dramatic - in most cases politicians announce their resignation on their own before it comes to this, before the credibility of the office and the greater political atmosphere is called into question. This is what Christian Wulff should have done - even much earlier.

The office of the German Federal President is all about the credibility and neutrality of the office holder - in short, his or her personal integrity. It is different from other countries, where the power of the executive extends to the influence or even the manipulation of parliamentary or judicial decisions. In Germany, the president’s power is limited. He is above all the country’s primary representative and can - and should - serve as a moral authority around important discussions, be they about values or other large topics in society and politics. He should always maintain a clear stance that is entirely above board. Apart from the fact that Christian Wulff has not risen to that task in the last year and a half in office, he did not even fulfil the prerequisites necessary for a president before taking the oath.

A substantial number of people in Germany and abroad still think Wulff has been the victim of a media smear campaign. But in my opinion, the media in this instance has only done what it is there to do: to report on cases in which politics and politicians become too cozy with outside interest groups. Journalists all over the world do this, and unlike in Germany, they take great risks in doing so. In the Wulff affair, journalists started and continued the discussions around allegations of accepting illicit favors. That is their job! The motion by state prosecutors to lift his immunity shows that the justice system in Germany can work independently on the issues at hand, even when they deal with the highest office holder of the land.

It is a good thing that all of this has happened so systematically, and it is good that further damage to the office of president can now be avoided. Germany’s political class as well as the independence and solidarity of its democratic institutions enjoy a great deal of credibility in the eyes of the world. We call for democracy, the rule of law and freedom of expression in other countries, so it is right that when something appears to have gone awry in our own legal system - no matter how highly placed the person involved may be - that the principles we espouse are backed with no ifs, whens or buts.

Author: Ute Schaeffer / jam
Editor: Gabriel Borrud