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Frankfurt's Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann
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Boris Roessler / dpa
The mayor of Frankfurt, Peter Feldmann (SPD), who has come under criticism, has refused to resign.
Feldmann announced this in a press statement.
He respects his own party's call for his resignation, "even if I would have been happy to be informed beforehand," he said.
Instead of resigning, Feldmann announced in the statement that he would refrain from representative appointments until the end of the summer break.
He also offered the SPD to suspend his membership;
"I want to follow Boris Palmer's example," said Feldmann.
However, this must be decided together with the party.
In March, the Frankfurt public prosecutor's office brought charges against Feldmann for accepting benefits in connection with the so-called Awo affair.
Among other things, Feldmann's wife, as head of an Awo daycare center, is said to have received a salary that was higher than the collective agreement "without any objective reason," it was said.
"My goodwill cannot be bought, I am not corrupt," said Feldmann now.
In addition, Feldmann was criticized after Eintracht Frankfurt's triumph in the Europa League because he had taken the trophy from team captain Sebastian Rode at the Eintracht Frankfurt cup celebrations in the Römer in order to advance towards the Kaisersaal.
Outrage after video from plane
After that, a video became public in which Feldmann made sexist comments about the flight attendants on the flight to the Europa League final in Seville.
After the Greens, CDU, FDP and the Volt party in the Main metropolis, Feldmann's own party then called for his resignation.
And even Eintracht Frankfurt distanced itself from the mayor.
Feldmann apologized for the missteps, as a Eintracht fan he "went through the horses, I really wanted to touch the trophy," he said.
He was also shocked himself when he saw the video from the plane.
"It won't happen again," Feldmann said.
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