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Heide Simonis 2010 in her apartment in Kiel
Photo: Carsten Rehder / picture alliance / dpa
She was the first "mother of the country" of Germany: former companions and politicians of all parties commemorate Heide Simonis, the late former Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein.
"The entire SPD is in deep mourning over the loss of our wonderful heath, which has shaped our SPD in the north like no other," said the party's state chairwoman Serpil Midyatli on Wednesday. "She was truly a shining light in Schleswig-Holstein politics and leaves a huge gap in our hearts. Her daring, steadfastness and incredible talent for winning people over will be remembered forever.«
"She has set standards for women's equality and advanced the modernization of our state in giant steps," Midyatli emphasized. »The political life's work of Heide Simonis is unrivalled in its uniqueness.« Simonis was once the youngest member of the German Bundestag. She has taken responsibility for the country in challenging times and will forever go down in the history books as the first female prime minister in a German state.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented on Twitter, calling Simonis "a role model for many in politics." With her assertive manner, she was already convincing as a young member of the Bundestag – including me," said Scholz.
Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck, who comes from Schleswig-Holstein, has described Heide Simonis as an icon of his state. "As a newly minted state chairman, I conducted my first coalition negotiations with Heide Simonis," said the Green politician on Wednesday of the German Press Agency. The fact that Simonis was one vote short of her planned re-election as prime minister in 2005 was a heavy blow for her. Nevertheless, in the weeks, months and years that followed, he always experienced Simonis as a strong, charismatic woman.
"She has never lost her sense of humour, her wit and her directness," Habeck said. "Heide Simonis was the first female prime minister to write history, and as a representative of my state, she was an icon." His condolences and sympathy go out to her relatives and friends.
"I mourn the loss of a great politician and a passionate Schleswig-Holsteiner," said the incumbent Prime Minister of Kiel, Daniel Günther (CDU). Simonis had "made Schleswig-Holstein even more lovable with her personality, her commitment, her humanity and her straightforwardness". As a politician, she "never minced her words, was upright, open and always straightforward". He added, "That's why so many people liked her."
The Free Democratic Party (FDP) in Schleswig-Holstein has praised Simonis as an "outstanding personality." As the first woman at the head of a federal state, she was a role model for future generations and thus paved the way for many women into politics," said the chairman of the FDP parliamentary group in the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament, Christopher Vogt, and the parliamentary secretary Oliver Kumbartzky on Wednesday. With her direct manner, she knew how to take the people in the country with her and meet them at eye level.
With Heide Simonis, Schleswig-Holstein has lost a committed Social Democrat, according to Deputy Prime Minister Monika Heinold (Greens). "As the first female prime minister in Germany, she has encouraged many women to demand and take on leadership responsibility," Heinold said on Wednesday in Kiel. She fondly remembers the joint cooperation in nine years of the red-green coalition. "Heide deserves to be able to enjoy her well-deserved retirement longer and healthier."
jso/dpa