Baden-Württemberg: Strobl's State Secretary retires

Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - Ironically, in what is probably the biggest crisis of his term as Interior Minister, Thomas Strobl (CDU) has to say goodbye to his most important comrade-in-arms in the department.

Baden-Württemberg: Strobl's State Secretary retires

Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - Ironically, in what is probably the biggest crisis of his term as Interior Minister, Thomas Strobl (CDU) has to say goodbye to his most important comrade-in-arms in the department. On Tuesday evening there was a reception in the House of Economy in Stuttgart in honor of the outgoing State Secretary Julian Würtenberger, who will retire at the end of May at the age of 65. A small ensemble of police musicians played jazz standards and "Yesterday" by the Beatles.

In his farewell speech, Strobl reportedly said that Würtenberger was a "great head of department," the "linchpin" of the CDU in the coalition with the Greens. "There is no second Würtenberger," said the minister, who is currently under massive pressure because of the affair about passing on a lawyer's letter to a journalist. The lawyer Würtenberger stood by the 62-year-old in the interior committee until the end.

Actually, the successor for Würtenberger was already certain. Strobl had looked up the previous head of the Justice Ministry, Elmar Steinbacher. But after the cabinet had already approved the personnel details at the beginning of April, they were recently withdrawn by the Ministry of the Interior. The reason: As the head of the Ministry of Justice, Steinbacher is an insider when it comes to the investigation against Strobl because of the disclosure of the lawyer's letter. Steinbacher also knows about the proceedings against the high-ranking police officer who is being investigated for sexual harassment.

The coalition confirmed a report by the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" that an experienced official from the Ministry of Finance should take over the post instead of Steinbacher. Reiner Moser has so far been undersecretary and heads the state participations department in the green-led finance department.

Würtenberger is considered the architect of the two coalitions with the Greens in 2016 and 2021. Both coalition agreements bear his signature. Würtenberger has worked at Strobl's side since the start of Grün-Schwarz, but was put on temporary retirement in 2019 before returning to the Ministry of the Interior in 2021.