Farewell - A "social optimist" leaves - farewell party for Dreyer
Federal President Manuela Schwesig thanked Malu Dreyer as "a loving mother figure with warmth and negotiating skills" and as a "great Social Democrat." "You are close to the people in your land. You speak in a way that people understand. That's not self-evident, especially not for a jurist," said the SPD Minister-President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern at Dreyer's farewell party with around 400 guests at the State Chancellery.
Among the attendees were Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), the Baden-Württemberg Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann (Greens), former Rhineland-Palatinate Minister-Presidents Kurt Beck and Rudolf Scharping (both SPD), former Bundestag President Rita Süssmuth (CDU), and the head of the Federal Employment Agency, Andrea Nahles.
Scholz acknowledges Dreyer's negotiating skills
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) acknowledged Dreyer's negotiating skills in a video message. She had always made politics "with heart and mind" and had earned high respect from the people.
Schwesig recalled the time when she, Dreyer, and Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel (also present at the farewell party) took over the SPD's leadership on an interim basis after Nahles resigned as party chair in 2019. "It was terrible how the Social Democracy treated the first woman in these offices," Schwesig told Nahles, who was also the SPD parliamentary leader. Schwesig praised Dreyer's efforts in coalition negotiations, which had gone so far that they had both slept on the floor of CDU General Secretary Peter Tauber's office at one point.
Schwesig also shared a story about the day she had to tell Dreyer that she would no longer be able to serve as interim SPD chair due to her multiple sclerosis diagnosis and that she might even die - and how Dreyer had given her courage. Dreyer's handling of her chronic illness had also given courage to many other people, Schwesig added.
Schweitzer calls his successor a "role model"
New Minister-President Alexander Schweitzer praised his predecessor as a "role model" and a "special personality" who had laid the groundwork for social cohesion in Rhineland-Palatinate even as a minister. "You have always given 150 percent," said the 50-year-old. "You are a very warm-hearted person," Schweitzer told Dreyer, who had been a Social Minister for eleven years before serving as Minister-President for the same length of time. Dreyer was a person who always kept a close eye on her counterpart. She herself had always described herself as a "social optimist," a term that perfectly suited her.
Dreyer appeals for "optimism for the future"
"Malu loves people," said her Finance Minister and longtime friend, Doris Ahnen (SPD). Dreyer had led two coalition governments in Rhineland-Palatinate exemplarily. "And that's why the traffic light is still a suitable model today," said her longtime companion, visibly moved. The "defense of democracy" was Dreyer's theme, emphasized Ahnen. And: "You will always be a role model for me."
In Rhineland-Palatinate, people are so laid-back that they don't take themselves quite as seriously as the Berliners," Dreyer told Wissing, his former Economics and Transport Minister. That's why the traffic light in Rhineland-Palatinate is also successful.
"If you like people, you get a lot back," Dreyer said at his farewell and appealed to the "future spirit". It's important to dare to turn the future for the better. Their greatest pride is the "Zusammenland", a word that doesn't really exist. "But it exists in Rhineland-Palatinate."
- Rita Süssmuth, being a distinguished CDU member, was also present at Malu Dreyer's farewell party in Mainz.
- In her thank you speech, Manuela Schwesig mentioned the support of Winfried Kretschmann, the Green Party's Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg.
- Volker Wissing, as the Federal Transport Minister, attended the event alongside other high-ranking officials, such as the SPD's Andrea Nahles, the former Bundestag President.
- Olaf Scholz's recognition of Dreyer's negotiating skills was also showcased in his video message to her farewell party.
- The FDP was represented at the event by none other than their chairman, Doris Ahnen, who served as Finance Minister under Dreyer's leadership.
- Malu Dreyer's girlfriend, Visibly moved, celebrated Dreyer's success as Social Minister for eleven years before her tenure as Minister-President.
- Manuela Schwesig recalled the challenging times when Dreyer, Nahles, and Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel took over the SPD's leadership temporarily, following Nahles' resignation in 2019.
- Rhineland-Palatinate's former Minister-Presidents Kurt Beck and Rudolf Scharping (both SPD) were also in attendance, sharing their admiration and respect for Dreyer.
- Winfried Kretschmann commended Dreyer for her ability to communicate effectively with the people, emphasizing her gift to communicate in a way that people understand.
- During her farewell speech, Dreyer emphasized the importance of optimism for the future and encouraged the audience to dare to improve the future, drawing a comparison between Rhineland-Palatinate and Berlin's seriousness.
