Schweitzer elected Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate has a new Ministerpresident. The Landtag elected SPD politician Alexander Schweitzer as successor to Malu Dreyer. Dreyer bid farewell in an emotional speech before her departure from state politics.
The Rhineland-Palatinate Landtag elected SPD politician Alexander Schweitzer as the new Ministerpresident. Schweitzer received 57 votes and more than the number of seats held by the coalition in the Mainz Landtag on Wednesday. The 50-year-old takes over the office from Malu Dreyer, who stepped down.
Before the election, Dreyer bid farewell in an emotional speech. "I really want to thank you all sincerely for giving me the opportunity to speak from this podium once more," she said with a choking voice in her last speech in the Mainz Landtag.
"You can tell, today is a heavy day. It's been going that way for me since this morning. When I went to the State Chancellery, I realized it was indeed my last day," said the SPD politician. "And when I handed the President the letter, it was clear: This is my last speech in this grand building."
She used the speech to thank her political and personal companions. "When I became Ministerpresident eleven years ago, that naturally also had a significant impact on my personal life," said Dreyer. The family of her successor Schweitzer should be given a moment, but it is a cut for everyone around. "I want to thank my beloved husband Klaus, my husband, in a very special way."
The new Ministerpresident of Rhineland-Palatinate, Alexander Schweitzer, succeeded Malu Dreyer in politics. Dreyer, the former Ministerpresident, expressed her gratitude in an emotional farewell speech before stepping down.
