The chairwoman of the CDU Women’s Union, Nina Warken, has defended the party’s top candidate for the Baden‑Württemberg state elections, Manuel Hagel, after criticism arose from an old video. Warken, who also serves as federal Health Minister, told the “Rheinische Post” that the timing of the current debate suggests the release of the video was a political maneuver.
She said, “I have worked closely with him for many years and see him as a responsible politician who holds modern views on gender equality and on the role of women in society and politics”. Warken added that Hagel himself has already spoken frankly about the incident: “It was a mistake, and he would not have phrased it that way today” she recalled, referring to the former CDU state secretary.
In an eight‑year‑old video from when he was a 29‑year‑old member of the state parliament, Hagel recounted a visit to a secondary school in his electoral district. He focused particularly on a female student with brown hair and hazel eyes who had asked the first question: “I will never forget it, the first question, her name was Eva”. The video was posted by Green Party MP Zoe Mayer.
