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First rival candidate for Steinmeier - Linke nominated medical professionals

2022-01-10T04:21:25.723Z


First rival candidate for Steinmeier - Linke nominated medical professionals Created: 01/10/2022, 05:11 AM From: Andreas Schmid Nominated for the office of Federal President by the Left Party: the social medicine specialist Gerhard Trabert. © Andreas Arnold / picture alliance Frank-Walter Steinmeier gets an opposing candidate in the election for Federal President. The left wants to set an exam


First rival candidate for Steinmeier - Linke nominated medical professionals

Created: 01/10/2022, 05:11 AM

From: Andreas Schmid

Nominated for the office of Federal President by the Left Party: the social medicine specialist Gerhard Trabert.

© Andreas Arnold / picture alliance

Frank-Walter Steinmeier gets an opposing candidate in the election for Federal President.

The left wants to set an example with its nomination.

Berlin - The re-election of Frank-Walter Steinmeier as Federal President has been agreed.

The incumbent head of state of the Federal Republic is sure of the support of the Ampel-Koalition and Union - and for a long time did not even have an opponent.

That is changing now.

The left sends a candidate into the race.

Federal President election: Left nominated social medicine specialist Trabert as a candidate against Steinmeier

As the

Süddeutsche Zeitung

reports, the Left wants to nominate the physician Gerhard Trabert.

Born in Mainz, he has been campaigning for a more social society for years, for example taking care of medical care for homeless people with the so-called homeless mobile.

The 65-year-old writes on his website: “Poverty makes you sick and illness makes you poor.

For decades it has been my main concern to publicize this grievance and to try to give back a piece of dignity to affected people as social workers and doctors. "

Trabert has also worked as a doctor in crisis areas such as the Greek island of Lesbos.

He is also involved in the civilian sea rescue of refugees in the Mediterranean.

Trabert is not a member of the left, but is very close to the party.

In the federal election in 2021 * he ran as a direct candidate in Mainz and, with 12.7 percent of the first votes, won significantly more than other established left-wing politicians.

Trabert is popular, but he has no chance of being elected Federal President *.

The social doctor is also aware of this.

Gerhard Trabert "I would like to point out the poverty in this country"

“Of course I will not be elected head of state, but I see a bit of an opportunity to stimulate a discussion,” he tells the

SZ

, referring to the symbolic nature of his nomination: “I would like to use the candidacy to address poverty and social injustice to point out in this country and to advocate for people who are not heard enough.

That is one of the most fundamental tasks of a Federal President. "

He did not want to operate against Steinmeier, but rather set an example.

"My candidacy is not directed against someone, but for something," said Trabert.

And this for is the social question, which has not played too big a role in the previous term of office of the Federal President.

"He could have spoken a little more often."

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The SPD politician is running for a second term.

© Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa

Left and the social question: Can the party benefit from Trabert?

The Left sees itself as a party for social justice and, for its part, would like to bring the social question back into focus after the poor performance in the federal election and the almost failure at the five percent hurdle.

A social medicine specialist like Trabert is now supposed to help strengthen the social profile of the left.

As the

SZ

reports, the nomination is a joint proposal by the two party leaders Janine Wissler and Susanne Hennig-Wellsow and the parliamentary group chairmen Amira Mohamed Ali and Dietmar Bartsch.

The party repeatedly puts up its own candidates for the election of the Federal President, most recently the poverty researcher Christoph Butterwegge.

The AfD will probably also present its own candidate.

The election for the Federal President will take place on February 13th.

Celebrities like Bayern professional Leon Goretzka or virologist Christian Drosten * are also allowed to vote.

(as) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-01-10

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