Hesse’s Minister-President, Boris Rhein (CDU), stated that he has no intention of running for the presidency of Germany following the tenure of Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Speaking to “Bild am Sonntag” regarding speculation, Rhein asserted that the question “does not arise.”
When asked about rumors that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) had rejected his potential bid, the Hesse minister-president responded, “I have not spoken about this topic with anyone. It is not undeserving of a compliment to be mentioned in this context. But I am what I want to be: the minister-president of Hesse. I will lead my Hesse CDU into a campaign in 2028.”
Regarding the notion that the recent political upheavals in Berlin should be dismissed, the CDU politician commented, “We are well-advised not to engage in personnel debates. I don’t even know where that would lead.” When pressed on whether Merz would remain the CDU’s federal chairman in 2027, Rhein declined to commit. “I am not a futurist. I do not know what the future holds, but I wouldn’t know why a change would bring us a better situation,” the hessian minister-president noted.
Currently, he stressed that substantive issues are the most important matter for him. The focus must be on “getting living costs under control.” This includes addressing the sugar tax, which he described as an “unsound tax” that also puts typically small-to-medium-sized beverage producers at risk. Additionally, Rhein stated to “Bild am Sonntag” that “we must also move away from CO2 pricing. That has to fall so that fueling and heating become more affordable.”
