Wiebke Winter: First woman to head the Bremen CDU parliamentary group!

Wiebke Winter: First woman to head the Bremen CDU parliamentary group!

A breath of fresh air is blowing through the Bremen CDU parliamentary group: Wiebke Winter has been elected as the new parliamentary group leader, bringing a good dose of fresh energy into the game. The 29-year-old received an impressive 22 out of 24 votes, replacing Frank Imhoff, who decided not to run for office again after an internal power struggle with Heiko Strohmann. Imhoff, who remains a member of parliament, has already expressed his support for Winter and spoken of a generational change. Her election is not only a success for her personally, but also a strong signal from the Bremen CDU, which wants to make her the strongest force in parliament in the next two years Süddeutsche.de reported.

The challenges are obvious: Wiebke Winter has set himself the ambitious goal of achieving at least 30 percent of the vote. She wants to lead the next government and has set clear priorities. Security, a strong economy, reliable mobility, a lively city center and good education are at the top of their agenda. Martin Michalik and Heiko Strohmann were elected as their deputies, with 23 and 20 yes votes, forming a strong team around the new chair.

Career and personal background

Winter, born on March 17, 1996 in Kiel, has been a member of the Bremen parliament since June 2023 and was previously deputy parliamentary group leader of the CDU parliamentary group. Her political involvement began early when she joined the Junge Union in 2012. She quickly made a name for herself in the CDU; From 2019 to 2024 she was even state chairwoman of the Junge Union Bremen. Her academic career left nothing to be desired: After successfully studying law at the Bucerius Law School, she received her doctorate in 2022 on the legal framework of big data and artificial intelligence in healthcare. In August 2023 she completed her second state examination in law and now works as a lawyer specializing in commercial and corporate law in Bremen Wikipedia.

However, Winter didn't just stand out because of her qualifications. Her direct manner and clarity on important issues, such as her opposition to cannabis legalization, led to an internet shitstorm in fall 2019. But that didn't throw her off track; on the contrary, she remained active and committed. She now has a great responsibility and must take the voices of Bremen's citizens seriously in order to achieve her goals.

Realignment in the team

When she takes office, Winter is focusing on realignment, which also includes parting ways with Dirk Hoffmann, the group's long-time managing director. After almost 20 years in office, Hoffmann was a pillar of the parliamentary group, but his relationship with Heiko Strohmann was strained. Wiebke Winter plans to appoint her confidant Tobias Hentze as the new faction manager. Frank Imhoff expressed Winter's utmost confidence in her new role and sees her as a future-oriented face of the CDU in Bremen.

The next two years will show whether Wiebke Winter can achieve the goals she has set and how she can get the CDU on track in the political competition. But one thing is clear: the next few months promise to be exciting!