THE GERMAN foreign minister has dismissed claims from political opponents that his partner is deriving private profit by accompanying him on state visits.
Guido Westerwelle, Germany’s first openly gay foreign minister, is currently on a trip to several South American countries with a delegation that includes his businessman partner, Michael Mronz.
Mr Westerwelle has dismissed as “without foundation” claims by the media and the opposition Social Democrats (SPD) that Mr Mronz, a prominent event manager, is benefiting personally from his partner’s public office.
“Everything with me is just like my predecessors,” said Mr Westerwelle, leader of the ruling Free Democrats (FDP). “I’m happy that Mr Mronz is taking the time to inform himself about and engage in social projects in the region. This is something we want and will continue to do.”
Mr Mronz said his interest on the trip was to visit social projects supported by a prominent German children’s charity of which he is a board member.
“Particularly because we have no children of our own, I want to show my support for them,” he said. “That I’m travelling at my own expense goes without saying.”
The opposition Social Democrats have suggested the trip was of “commercial gain” for Mr Mronz, a claim dismissed by the FDP as “hidden homophobia”.
“Instead of greeting this as a sign of an enlightened Europe, it [the SPD] is serving the lowest prejudices,” said Silvana Koch-Mehrin, a leading FDP MEP. “No one would say boo if Westerwelle was married and brought his wife along.”
Der Spiegel magazine reported on Monday that, shortly before the tour, Mr Westerwelle was a prominent guest at the opening of a Bonn hotel, an event organised by Mr Mronz’s company. Mr Westerwelle, an MP for Bonn, said the appearance was constituency work.
The attacks come at an inopportune time for Mr Westerwelle. Last month he came in for public ridicule after suggesting that German’s welfare state bred “late Roman decadence”.
After just five months in office, an opinion poll out yesterday showed the junior coalition partner has dropped nearly nine points to just 8 per cent support. Some 84 per cent of respondents see Germany’s coalition partners as “at odds with each other”.
Worryingly for Mr Westerwelle, every second voter blames his party for the stand-off, while only 5 per cent of respondents blame Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Christian Democrats (CDU).