GERMANY: BERLIN: HELMUT KOHL RESIGNS FROM C-D-U

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• published: 30 Jul 2015
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German/Nat Helmut Kohl has resigned as honorary chairman of the Christian Democratic Union. The former German chancellor announced his decision shortly after party leaders called for his suspension until he identified the sources of apparently illegal cash donations that touched off a major party funding scandal. Kohl admitted \"mistakes\" but rejected the renewed appeal to identify the donors, a step the conservatives hope would end speculation that the money was tied to political favours. He said he gave his word to keep the donors secret. The end of an era.... Helmut Kohl on Tuesday resigned as honorary chairman of Germany's Christian Democrats, bowing to rising anger in the party about his refusal to help clear up a campaign funding scandal. The man who had led the CDU for 25 years announced his decision shortly after an emergency meeting of party leaders called for his suspension from the honorary post until he identified the sources of apparently illegal cash donations that touched off the scandal. Kohl last month admitted accepting up to two (M) million marks (one (M) million U-S dollars) in unreported campaign funds in the 1990s, when the Christian Democrats led Germany's government. But in his resignation announcement, Kohl said he refused to name the donors, explaining he would not break promises he had made to several personalities who financially supported his work in the CDU. Earlier in the day, party leaders arriving for the crisis talks acknowledged an internal power struggle, apparently between Kohl supporters and those who wanted him to withdraw from political life. SOUNDBITE: (German) \"We have an internal fight about power at the CDU, which is a painful process we have to bring as soon as possible to a reasonable end. It is all about the power and unity of the party.\" SUPER CAPTION: Christian Wulff, Chief of CDU in Lower Saxony SOUNDBITE: (German) \"We need a process of clearing up the party and the once who committed faults and who are guilty in some way cannot stand for the future of this party.\" SUPER CAPTION: Bernhard Vogel, Prime Minister of Turingia But the Christian Democrats closed ranks behind their current leader - quashing speculation he would resign over the party's growing campaign funding scandal. The endorsement by party leaders strengthened Wolfgang Schaeuble's hand in trying to clear up the scandal centred on former Chancellor Kohl. Sanctioning Kohl was a painful decision and three of the 39 executive board members refused to support punishing Kohl. The party stopped short of more radical measures demanded by some, including resignations at the highest levels after Kohl's former interior minister Manfred Kanther became the first victim of the scandal. Admissions and disclosures so far have topped 36 (M) million marks (17 (M) million dollars). This total includes damaging revelations made on Friday by Kanther that the party's branch in Hesse channelled 13 (M) million marks (six point eight (M) million dollars) in campaign funds through a Swiss account back into Germany when he was state party chairman. The money was falsely reported as bequests from abroad between 1989-96, some from Jewish donors. A spokesman for Kanther on Monday said the former minister would give up his seat in the Bundestag, making him the first prominent party figure to fall in the scandal. SOUNDBITE: (German) \"The CDU of Germany - as well as of Hesse - gives its excuses to the Jewish people for the faux-pas relating the affair of foreign accounts. Secondly, the board of the CDU gives the presidency of the CDU lead by Wolfgang Schaeuble its full confidence.\" SUPER CAPTION: Wolfgang Schaeuble, CDU Chairman He clearly hoped Tuesday's developments would pacify critics. SOUNDBITE: (German) You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/edf20aa63be4155286c9d251a3906aeb Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork