European of the week
Anke Rehlinger, the rising star of the German SPD
Audio 03:31
Anke Rehlinger, the main candidate of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the Saarland state elections, after the elections on March 28, 2022. REUTERS - HANNIBAL HANSCHKE
By: Juliette Gheerbrant Follow
5 mins
Several times minister, high-level athlete, lawyer: the German Anke Rehlinger, 46, is a rising star of the German center left.
She tipped the Saar region into the fold of the SPD by even offering herself an absolute majority in the legislative election last Sunday, after 28 years of presence of the CDU at the head of this small land bordering France .
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At the end of 2021, Anke Rehninger was re-elected vice-president of the SPD.
And that day, in the wake of the federal legislative elections in September, she clearly announced the color: “
The legislative elections must not be an overnight success!
I will do everything to ensure that the SPD becomes the first force in Saarland
, ”she declared to the party members, promising to swap, “
like Olaf Sholz
”, the post of Deputy Prime Minister for that of Prime Minister.
Because as at the federal level, the Saarland was run until these new elections by a “groko”, a coalition of the center-right CDU and the center-left SPD.
With 43.5% of the vote in the legislative elections on 27th March, Anke Rehlinger won her bet hands down, since in the Saarland the SPD will be able to govern alone.
The CDU fell to 28.5% – half of its supporters over the age of 60 turned to the SPD.
The party's score owes a lot to Anke Rehlinger's local roots.
The socialist has spent her entire career in the Saarland, from her commitment to the SPD youth movement, which she led, to her current post as Deputy Prime Minister, through municipal and ministerial responsibilities.
She is very well known to voters, confirms Paul Maurice, specialist in Franco-German relations at Ifri: "
We often highlight the fact that she is an athlete, a shot putter, therefore someone resistant, enduring.
But she is also a lawyer by training, she is a lawyer.
She is a very meticulous woman, who works a lot on her files, and her rigor has certainly benefited her in her current position.
She is respected by voters, and by her colleagues
.”
So many guarantees of success for the presidency of Saarland, judges the researcher who specifies that Anke Rehlinger has focused her campaign a lot on the theme of securing or creating jobs.
“
We must not forget that the Saar is certainly a small region, but it is an industrial region – or formerly industrial – where many jobs have been lost, and where the opening up of Europe has nevertheless made it possible to recreate activity
”.
In addition to the post of Deputy Prime Minister, Anke Rehlinger assumed since 2014 that of Minister of Economy and Employment.
And it knew how to use this opportunity offered by the special status of this cross-border “euroregion”, explains Paul Maurice.
Three thousand jobs have just been guaranteed in the Sarre, thanks to the establishment of a kitchen furniture factory and two electric battery factories.
Anke Rehlinger also convinced voters on a subject that has been debated: the management of the Covid pandemic.
One controversy in particular has hurt the CDU.
“
A certain number of Saarlanders had a very bad experience with the declarations at the time of the CDU Minister of the Interior
”, explains Christophe Arent, LREM deputy for Moselle, who regularly cooperates with Anke Rehninger.
Minister Klaus Bouillon had made remarks deemed anti-French.
While the closure of the border stunned the population.
“
When at the worst moment of the crisis, due to a lack of human resources to carry out checks, the 36 authorized crossing points between the Moselle and the Saar were closed, it was… really something that shocked the population.
The ties here are so close;
there are 2,000 children in my constituency who go to school in Germany.
We no longer speak of French or Germans, we speak of Europeans residing in France or Germany
”.
For the deputy, the CDU also paid for the unpopular decisions linked to the pandemic.
"
Tobias Hans, the CDU Minister President of Saarland, was seen a lot in Berlin
".
While facing him, “
Anke Rehlinger and Heiko Mas, also elected from Saarland and then federal minister, very quickly apologized for the behavior of the government, in relation to the closure of the border
”.
Anke Rehlinger has also benefited from the crisis which is undermining the left-wing party Die Linke.
Usually well established in Saarland, he will have no deputy in the new legislature.
The only party to rise above the representation threshold with the SPD and the CDU is that of the extreme right, the AFD.
They will have respectively 29, 19 and 3 seats out of the 51 in the Assembly.
Will the SPD's victory have a ripple effect?
Two other Länder will elect their parliament this year and for the moment CDU and SPD are neck and neck.
Anke Rehlinger can in any case envisage a national destiny.
Paul Maurice recalls that there have been precedents, in particular that of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who became a federal minister after a few years.
“
In addition,
underlines the researcher,
Anke Rehlinger is one of those women who represent a bit the renewal of the SPD, with three other presidents of Länder: Franziska Giffey, Manuela Schwesig and Malu Dreyer.
They are also the only female presidents of the 16 Länder of Germany
”.
But before thinking of Berlin, it will be necessary to transform the test in Saarland.
Anke Rehlinger will be elected head of the land on April 25, during the constituent session of Parliament.
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