Former Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble (1942-2023) died on Wednesday night at the age of 81. On the occasion of his death, the Erste announced a change to the program. Following the “Tagesthemen” the 45-minute obituary “Wolfgang Schäuble – Lifelong Politics” (SWR) by Thomas Schneider will be broadcast. The broadcaster announced this on Wednesday afternoon. If you don’t want to wait until 11:45 p.m., you can access the obituary now in the ARD media library.
Wolfgang Schäuble had an extraordinarily long political career and shaped the fortunes of the republic for decades. He played a crucial role in shaping German unity.
After an assassination attempt in 1990, he fought his way back to life. A mentally ill assassin shot him at a campaign event. As a result, Wolfgang Schäuble, then 48 years old, was paralyzed from the third thoracic vertebra onwards and was in a wheelchair.
As part of the party donations scandal in 1999, he was overthrown from the party leadership. But the native of Freiburg (Breisgau) found his way back and, as interior and finance minister, became one of the most influential politicians alongside Chancellor Angela Merkel (69). His commitment to the European Union was characterized by passionate commitment and the conviction that Europe had a strong future.
