Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder has wished Robert Habeck well with future endeavors following the latter’s announcement he will step down from the Bundestag. In comments to Bild newspaper, Söder stated he wished Habeck “much luck outside of politics” adding a pointed remark that Habeck had been “very unsuccessful” within it. He concluded by saying he would continue to enjoy Bavarian white sausage and Franconian grilled sausage. Söder’s comments followed a statement by Habeck criticizing what he described as Söder’s “fetishistic sausage consumption.
The move has also drawn criticism from within the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Dirk Wiese, First Parliamentary Managing Director of the SPD parliamentary group, described Habeck’s decision as revealing a “difficult understanding of democracy”. He emphasized that representing constituents in an electoral district is a core responsibility of an elected Member of Parliament.
Wiese suggested there was no justification for stepping down simply because one is no longer in a prominent public position, citing the examples of former federal ministers Thomas de Maizière, Franz Müntefering and current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, all of whom continued to serve their constituencies after holding high office and addressing citizens’ concerns – “as it should be”.
