The former Bavarian state parliament president and deputy CSU chairman Barbara Stamm is dead. She died on Wednesday at the age of 77 in her hometown of Würzburg, as the Bavarian state parliament announced, citing the Stamms family circle. She succumbed to her breast cancer, which she first made public in 2009.
Appreciation of Bavaria’s former President of the State Parliament, Barbara Stamm
Top politicians from all parties, from Bavaria and the federal government, paid tribute to Stamm’s life’s work, as did representatives of churches and associations. In Bavaria, the flags should fly at half-mast this Thursday.
“She was Bavaria’s social conscience, benchmark and role model in action for fellow human beings,” said Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU). “Her big heart belonged to the families and especially to the weakest in our society. With her helpfulness and warmth, she was a role model for many people.” He bows to her life’s work. Stamm was “the most important politician in the Free State and the mother of Bavaria,” emphasized the CSU chairman. For Thursday and the day of the funeral, Söder ordered mourning flags to be displayed on all government buildings in honor of Stamm.
Stamm headed the Bavarian state parliament from 2008 to 2018. She was the first woman to hold this office. She was a member of the state parliament for a total of 42 years, and she was also a member of the state government for more than 13 years, including as state secretary and minister and from 1998 to 2001 as vice prime minister.
Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) wrote on Twitter that Stamm was a real role model with her impressive life: as the first parliamentary speaker in the Bavarian state parliament, as a convinced and convincing democrat and, above all, as a committed voice for the weak. Federal Minister of Social Affairs Hubertus Heil (SPD) praised Stamm as a committed social politician and a warm-hearted person.
Stamm’s successor, the incumbent President of the State Parliament, Ilse Aigner (CSU), said: “With Barbara Stamm, we are losing a politician who is popular and highly valued across all party lines, who for decades worked primarily for the poorer and weaker in our society and gave them a voice.” As the first woman to head the Bavarian state parliament, she earned great respect and a high reputation. “With her, we are losing a great role model for women in politics, a passionate fighter for the weak in society and a convinced democrat.”
Former Bavarian Prime Minister and CSU leader Horst Seehofer called Stamm a “great politician”. “I haven’t met many of such a format in all the decades,” he told the DPA news agency. “She leaves a big gap in Bavaria and in the CSU that will be difficult to close.”
Politicians from other parties also paid tribute to Stamm: “Barbara Stamm was the mother of the nation for Bavaria,” said Hubert Aiwanger, leader of the Free Voters and Economics Minister. “It hurts a lot to lose her. Her social services cannot be overestimated.” Green party leader Katharina Schulze emphasized that Stamm remains a role model for many women in politics. And Greens faction leader Ludwig Hartmann praised: “Barbara Stamm was the social conscience of her party. She shaped Bavaria with her humanity and her commitment to the weakest among us.” Stamm has always stood firm in its values and beliefs.
The chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, Florian von Brunn, said Stamm’s death made him sad. “She had backbone, a clear social compass and was always open to compromises. I will remember her Franconian human nature and her sense of humor.” FDP faction leader Martin Hagen praised that Stamm’s commitment to socially disadvantaged people had brought her great recognition across party lines. The AfD said that even if Stamm had different positions than the AfD on refugee policy, for example, she was valued as a committed and straightforward politician.
The Protestant regional bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm said he mourned the loss of a convincing politician. “She actually lived out her Christian values in politics.” Even against resistance in her own ranks, “the biblical option for the weak” has always been a key criterion for Stamm’s political actions. As examples, he cited Stamm’s commitment to humane treatment of refugees, the inclusion of people with disabilities or their sensitivity to people affected by poverty.
The state chairman of the social association VdK, Ulrike Mascher, said: “With Barbara Stamm, Bavaria loses an important political voice for social justice and inclusion.” And the deputy chairmen of the Lebenshilfe, Hildegard Metzger and Gerhard John, explained: “With Barbara Stamm, we, the Bavarian Lebenshilfe, have lost a wonderful person who worked tirelessly for those who needed help.” Until the very end, Stamm had been the chairwoman of the Lebenshilfe regional association.
