Select a language
Even before the announcement that President Christian Wulff was resigning, the German press was describing today, February 17, as "historic". Following a request to have his immunity lifted from a prosecutor who wants to investigate him on corruption charges, the head of state explained that he was no longer able to carry out his purely ceremonial duties.
The press notes that, two years after the resignation of his predecessor, Horst Köhler, in May 2010, Wulff is the second president supported by Angela Merkel to leave office. The Süddeutsche Zeitung asks -
Is Germany facing a crisis of state when two presidents resign in the space of two years?... The non-partisan office risks beng discredited in the dispute between the political parties. Angela Merkel, her coalition and her government now have the task of finding a new president who will finally serve the country and its constitution honourably.
Receive the best of the independent European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday
