After the flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate, District Administrator Jürgen Pföhler is investigated.
Now the CDU politician has to resign.
Ahrweiler - After the flood disaster in Germany, there is still chaos in the affected regions in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia.
Four people are still missing.
There is also a lot to be worked on at the political level.
Because the public prosecutor's office is investigating him, District Administrator Jürgen Pföhler must now resign on the advice of the CDU district association in Ahrweiler.
In July, extreme heavy rainfall caused devastating floods in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.
Many communities were devastated.
The district of Ahrweiler was hardest hit by the disaster.
133 people were killed in connection with the flood in Rhineland-Palatinate alone.
According to the dpa, District Administrator Pföhler is being investigated on suspicion of negligent homicide.
CDU district association throws Ahrweiler district administrator out of office after flood disaster
As the CDU district association announced on Monday evening (August 16), Pföhler could no longer exercise his office due to illness. The step of the district administrator to resign his office is therefore "necessary and inevitable". In addition, Pföhler lost the trust of the population. "In the current situation, the Ahrweiler district needs an unencumbered new start in its management," explained the parliamentary group. Because: A "determined and hands-on leadership" is no longer possible under Pföhler.
After the flood disaster, there was massive criticism of the district administrator's approach.
The CDU district association also admitted that there were errors and omissions in the past.
These must now be processed and the necessary conclusions drawn from them.
According to
BILD
, member of the state parliament Horst Gies is now to take over from the district administrator on a temporary basis.
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District Administrator Jürgen Pföhler has to resign because of investigations after the flood disaster in Ahrweiler.
(Archive image)
© Thomas Frey / dpa
Public prosecutor's office is investigating the district administrator - CDU parliamentary group distances itself from Pföhler
On suspicion of negligent homicide and negligent bodily harm by failure, the Koblenz prosecutor initiated an investigation against the district administrator from Ahrweiler at the beginning of August.
As reported by the dpa, there were indications that the residents of the Ahr valley not yet affected by the tidal wave should have been warned and brought to safety on July 14th by 8:30 p.m. at the latest.
According to suspicions, the status of the disaster was declared by the crisis team too late and with too little clarity.
The crisis team and district administrator could therefore be made jointly responsible for some of the deaths and injuries.
The SPD and the Greens have therefore been demanding Pföhler's resignation for a few days.
His own group also stated that it found the initiation of the investigation right.
“From our understanding, however, one cannot exercise an office when criminal investigations are ongoing,” the message continues.
As the
BILD
reports, the CDU member of the Bundestag Mechthild Heil suggested the district administrator to resign at the beginning of August.
In an interview with she said: "It seems that he has lost the trust of the citizens and the administrations in parts."
List of rubric lists: © Thomas Frey / dpa
