Date of Death - SPD remembers Heide Simonis
Together with Udo Simonis, Social Democrats in Kiel paid tribute to the late Ex-Ministerpresident Heide Simonis (SPD) on the anniversary of her death. "She was an incredibly political person and remained so until the end, always thinking of those who were not as fortunate," said SPD Landesvorsitzende Serpil Midyatli at Simonis' grave on the Kiel Südfriedhof.
Simonis was not only the first Ministerpresident of the Republic and an honorary citizen of Schleswig-Holstein. She shaped many Social Democrats and Social Democrats with her passion and the way she practiced politics.
Besides Midyatli, former Finance Minister Claus Möller, the Kiel Kreisvorsitzende Gesine Stück, Bundestagsabgeordnete Mathias Stein, Europaabgeordnete Delara Burkhardt, and other companions attended the grave.
Schnellsprecherin
Udo Simonis reminded us of Heide's quick speaking skills. This was evident in her first speech in the Bundestag. "This means that the men and women, who had to stenograph, had real difficulties. They couldn't keep up."
This story began then, Heide was the fastest speaking woman, even faster than the former US President John F. Kennedy. "He was considered the fastest speaker up until then. And then came Heide." She mastered many other things just as quickly. Simonis was elected to the Bundestag in 1976.
Death one year ago
On June 12, 2023, Simonis passed away at the age of 80 after a long and severe illness. Born in Bonn, she had announced in 2014 that she had Parkinson's disease. She was cared for in her old apartment building in the Kiel city center.
Simonis was elected as the first female Ministerpresident of a German federal state in Kiel in 1993, succeeding Björn Engholm (SPD). Her political career ended in 2005. After a narrowly missed Landtag election without a majority for the previously governing red-green coalition, Simonis wanted to continue with a minority government, tolerated by the Südschleswigscher Wählerverband (SSW). However, her re-election in the Landtag failed because someone from her own ranks denied her the vote in four ballots.
- Serpil Midyatli, as the SPD Landesvorsitzende in Schleswig-Holstein, expressed her respect for the late Heide Simonis during the commemoration ceremony held by the Federal Parliament in Kiel.
- The Fastest speaking woman in the history of the German Bundestag, according to Udo Simonis, was none other than Heide Simonis, Geisse's successor in the SPD Party.
- Serpil Midyatli and other notable figures such as Claus Möller, Gesine Stück, Mathias Stein, and Delara Burkhardt, gathered at Kiel Südfriedhof to pay tribute to their respected colleague and honorary citizen, Heide Simonis.
- Heide Simonis, the first female Ministerpresident of a German federal state, had a significant influence on numerous Social Democrats in her time, with her passion for politics constantly inspiring and guiding them.
- The day of Heide Simonis' passing, marked by the SPD Party, was June 12, 2023, resulting in a great loss to both her loved ones and the political community at large.
- The SSW, despite not being part of the red-green coalition after the Landtag election, tolerated Heide Simonis' minority government until her failed re-election in the Landtag, ending her political career in 2005.
