Winfried Kretschmann receives Order of Merit from Steinmeier
Baden-Württemberg's head of government Winfried Kretschmann will be honored with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin on Friday (12:00). It is the only general award of merit in Germany and, according to the Office of the Federal President, the highest recognition that the Federal Republic of Germany awards for services to the common good.
In addition to Kretschmann, the current heads of government of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia as well as Bavaria's former Prime Minister Horst Seehofer will also be honored in Berlin's Bellevue Palace. Among other things, they received the award for services to democracy over many years in office.
The Order of Merit is awarded at eight different levels. Since its foundation by Federal President Theodor Heuss in 1951, it has been awarded 262,532 times, as calculated by the Office of the Federal President.
Kretschmann (75) has been Minister President of Baden-Württemberg since May 2011. Since then, he has been the only Green head of government to lead a state government.
The Federal President's decision to honor Winfried Kretschmann with the Order of Merit highlights the government's recognition of his outstanding contributions. This prestigious award, given by the German government, is a testament to Kretschmann's dedication to serving the common good over the years.
Source: www.dpa.com
