A tale of two presidents

How two presidential scandals reveal the complicated relationship Germany has with its highest office.

Christian Wulff – the incumbent German president – is engulfed in a scandal that may cost him his political life. In a situation that bears a striking resemblance to the transgressions that led to Peter Mandelson’s 1998 resignation, (after which he would later re-join, resign and again re-join the British government) he:

• borrowed €500,000 – nominally from Edith Geerkins – to buy a house in 2008. She is the wife of Egon Geerkins, a wealthy businessman.
• neglected to mention this arrangement in 2010 when asked a question in the Lower Saxony state parliament regarding his relationship with Egon after it was revealed that he treated Wulff to a free stay in his Florida villa.
• arranged a loan with a bank to replace this arrangement at very favourable rates in questionable circumstances – without the normal management oversight.

Add to that the likelihood that the money was Egon’s rather than Edith’s in the first place and Wulff’s eagerness to cover up the arrangements, this affair has all the ingredients of a major political scandal. However, as there was no direct evidence that Wulff abused his position either to obtain these favours or to repay the generosity shown to him, it lacked the killer blow needed to end a career – despite the innuendo and intrigue. It didn’t seem too likely that Wulff would succumb to the pressure until it was revealed yesterday that he made personal phone calls to a number of senior media figures before Christmas to try and supress the then new revelations about the suspicious bank loan he obtained.

Wulff’s desire to hang on to his position comes in sharp contrast to his predecessor, Horst Köhler. He got into hot water in May 2010 after suggesting Germany might use their military to protect economic interests abroad. His – as far as German sensibilities were concerned – overly aggressive stance made him few friends (to put it mildly), but his position was never in real danger; the president does not normally have any power over foreign policy. In a fit of pique, however, he resigned claiming the critics lacked “the necessary respect” for his office. The relatively mild criticism turned into condemnation and ridicule – Köhler had nonchalantly walked away from his job and plunged the country into an unnecessary political crisis.

The political storm that enveloped Köhler for resigning, compared to the likelihood that – according to polls – Wulff would have hung on despite (nearly) being caught in a lie, strikes at the heart of what the Germans want out of their president. While it is the highest office of the land, and the holder is supposed to be the pre-eminent representative of Germany and the German Way of Doing Things, the German people and political establishment mostly look towards the president for a sense of stability. He is a figurehead for the government machine, even if he himself doesn’t control it. Past impropriety may be tolerated but disrupting good order won’t be.

Of course – Germans, like the population of most western countries, don’t tolerate obvious attempts to abuse power. So the new revelations that Wulff tried to twist the arms of editors and publishers will likely be his undoing.