When Vice President Frank Lortz leads the plenary sessions in the Hessian state parliament, he does it in his very own way. The CDU parliamentarian can also be strict, but things are usually humorous and relaxed when he sits in the presidential chair.
The last plenary session is on the agenda for the longest-serving MP this week; he was officially farewelled with a ceremony. Lortz will give up his mandate at the end of October. With 44 years in parliament, he is one of the longest-serving members of the state parliament in Germany.
First names and football as trademarks
Lortz is unique in the best sense of the word. For example, there is his preference for using first names. Formal voting should take place in the state parliament. When Lortz invites a speaker to the podium, it often sounds like this: “The law is introduced by the Minister of Economic Affairs, State Minister Mansoori. Kaweh, please, you have the floor.”
Before the start of the Thursday session of a plenary week, Lortz traditionally reads out the football results - first and foremost those of the state parliament team. But games from other teams are also recognized, such as Bundesliga club Bayern Munich (Lortz's favorite) and Eintracht Frankfurt (favorite club of many other parliamentarians).
Humor as a defuse
“If you add a bit of humor, you can defuse difficult things,” says Lortz, who has been vice president of the state parliament for 23 years. “I also get along well with everyone.” The 73-year-old emphasizes that everyone must be treated fairly, regardless of their political opinions. “I have always given myself this maxim.”
His style of chairing meetings will be missing in the future after Lortz's departure. “If another president did what I did, I think they would arrest him. “That just suits me,” says the 73-year-old. “I can’t recommend that anyone copy that in any form in the future. Everyone has to have their own style.”
Experiences from four decades
What has changed in your 44 years as an MP? “This is now the third plenary hall that I am sitting in,” says Lortz, who has won his constituency in Seligenstadt in southern Hesse twelve times. And atmospheric? “It’s not better and it’s not bad, it’s different.” In the 1980s there were very tough disputes on the matter - due to narrow majorities. “Nevertheless, the personal respect was always there. That was the case in the past, and it is essentially still the same today,” says Lortz.
The CDU politician is only saying goodbye at the state level - he will also remain active in local politics. “If you have been a member of the state parliament for 44 years, then you also have the right to say that things are slowly getting better,” says Lortz, who also wants to clear the way for his successor Jürgen Harrer. He should have the opportunity to make a name for himself as a member of parliament before the next state election.
Don’t wait until people get tired of “simple”.
You have to leave office when people say, “It's a shame that he's leaving,” explains Lortz. And not just when it says: “It’s time for the old simplicity to go away.” Finding this point in time is not so easy. “I think I succeeded to some extent.”
A political farewell drink is planned for the end of October in his hometown of Froschhausen. “Very small,” says Lortz, who is a member of more than 60 clubs. 500 to 600 people have registered.
President: People like Lortz are needed more than ever
“We will all miss him here in the state parliament: with his value-based clarity, his approachable and at the same time straightforward manner and as a passionate campaigner for a self-confident and independent parliament,” said state parliament President Astrid Wallmann, who was absent from the official farewell ceremony in the state parliament for health reasons. In a society of increasing polarization, personalities like Frank Lortz are needed more than ever.
Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) explained: “Frank Lortz can argue hard on the matter and still bring everyone to his table in the end. Anyone who talks to him knows where he stands. With him the rule is: one man, one word.” For Lortz, the political dispute involved the willingness to stay in conversation with each other and look for a common solution.
