Schäuble: A record-breaking parliamentarian with heart and soul

Portrait - Schäuble: A record-breaking parliamentarian with heart and soul

Some called him a string-puller, others a gray eminence or even a sphinx because he was so difficult to see through. Wolfgang Schäuble is indisputably associated with one of the most outstanding careers in German history. An assassination attempt by a deranged man in October 1990, which forced Schäuble into a wheelchair, did nothing to change this.

Schäuble, whose father Karl sat in the Baden state parliament for the CDU, has achieved a great deal in his life. He was head of the Chancellery, twice Minister of the Interior, Minister of Finance, he led the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, and finally presided over the Bundestag as President. No one belonged to parliament longer than him; he was sometimes referred to as an "eternal member of parliament". He first entered the "House" in 1972 and remained a member without interruption until his death on Tuesday evening. His companions did not always have an easy time with the man from Baden.

Schäuble and Kohl - a close relationship ends in a rift

Chancellor Helmut Kohl made Schäuble head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks in 1984, then Federal Minister of the Interior from 1989 to 1991. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Schäuble helped negotiate the Unification Treaty in the GDR and was one of the architects of reunification. As head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Schäuble secured Kohl's government power from 1991 to 2000. Kohl stands again in the 1998 Bundestag elections, but names Schäuble as his preferred successor at a later date. This was not to happen. The CDU/CSU lost the election. Schäuble, however, becomes party leader.

Soon afterwards, a donation scandal rocked the CDU. It cost Kohl the honorary chairmanship, but the turmoil also affected Schäuble. Under pressure from new revelations about a cash donation of 100,000 marks from arms dealer Karlheinz Schreiber, Schäuble gave up the chairmanship of the party and parliamentary group in February 2000. There is a rift with his former friend and supporter Kohl. The rift can never be mended. Schäuble's younger brother Thomas, who died in 2013 and was once Interior Minister of Baden-Württemberg, later said: "I detest Mr. Kohl. And I can speak for the whole family."

Schäuble and Merkel - loyal despite occasional differences

Without Schäuble, Angela Merkel's career might have taken a different course. After Kohl's departure from the party chairmanship, the new CDU leader Schäuble made the former minister Secretary General. When the maelstrom of the donations scandal also swept Schäuble away, the party base swept Merkel to the top of the party. As Chancellor, she reappointed Schäuble as Minister of the Interior in 2005 and then as Finance Minister in 2009. Differences of opinion between the two emerged during the Greek crisis, but Merkel held on to her finance minister, even when he was unable to attend a crisis meeting on the euro bailout for health reasons. On the credit side as finance minister is the "black zero", i.e. a federal budget without new debt.

Despite occasional differences, Schäuble is loyal to Merkel. At the end of her term of office, he has both praise and a little criticism for her. During the election campaign, he explained in the "Tagesspiegel" that he sees Merkel's decision to relinquish the CDU chairmanship in 2018 as a reason for the "close race" between the CDU/CSU and SPD. On the other hand, at an event organized by the news portal "The Pioneer", he praised: "Angela Merkel has secured stability for us in 16 years with incredible disruptive changes. That is a great achievement." Schäuble paid tribute to her modesty, but also let it slip that he would have liked to have seen more decisive leadership at times.

Schäuble and the CDU

Although his time as party chairman was only brief, Schäuble remains one of the most influential politicians in his party and is involved in the top committees. In the thriller for the 2021 chancellor candidacy, he sided with CDU leader Armin Laschet, who won the race against CSU leader Markus Söder but lost the race for the chancellorship. Schäuble only withdrew from the governing bodies after the CDU lost the 2021 Bundestag elections.

Schäuble and the Bundestag

With 45 years of parliamentary experience, Schäuble was elected President of the Bundestag in 2017, the second-highest office in the Federal Republic. Only the office of Federal President is higher. Schäuble was also considered for this position several times, but probably lacked the necessary support from Merkel. As President of the Bundestag, Schäuble faces two major challenges. When dealing with a strong AfD parliamentary group, he chooses clear words, but not too harsh a tone. His efforts to reform electoral law in order to prevent a further increase in the number of MPs remain unsuccessful. He essentially fails because of his own ranks.

Unlike the Chancellor, Schäuble does not leave politics in 2021 after the CDU/CSU loses power and runs again for the Bundestag, where he has been a member for almost half a century. He wins the direct mandate again in his constituency of Offenburg. Schäuble is not following the example of other CDU politicians such as Peter Altmaier or Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who are giving up the mandate they won in favor of younger people. According to a spokesperson, he intends to remain in office for the full electoral term.

Schäuble will remain a simple member of parliament. As the age president - after a rule change to the AfD's disadvantage, this is now the politician with the most years in the Bundestag - Schäuble opens the first session and promotes open discourse and self-confident MPs. Schäuble saw himself as a "parliamentarian with heart and soul", as he himself once said.