Hape Kerkeling as Federal President: An online petition to nominate the openly gay comedian for Germany’s highest office has now drawn more than 20,000 supporters. The appeal on Campact’s platform is addressed to the floor leaders of the Union, the SPD, the Greens, and the Left in the Bundestag.
“Nominate Hans-Peter Kerkeling as a joint, cross-party candidate for the office of the Federal President for the election on January 30, 2027,” the call states. “Germany does not need party politics at the top, but a person who can dignify our country and foster social cohesion.”
Has Depth
Kerkeling has proven that he possesses depth, the rationale states. “His speech at the Buchenwald memorial on April 12, 2026 moved many of us and at the same time inspired us. He spoke there as the grandson of Hermann Kerkeling, who endured three years in Buchenwald for the sake of freedom. Kerkeling has made clear that our democracy requires daily care and a vibrant culture of remembrance.”
The 61-year-old Kerkeling has long been successful as a comedian and author. He gained notoriety with his character Horst Schlämmer — his book “Ich bin dann mal weg” became a bestseller.
At the memorial ceremony marking the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald, he recalled the suffering of his grandfather, who had been imprisoned there after the Nazi rise to power for distributing leaflets against Adolf Hitler. “Never again” must be a daily compass, he urged in the speech (TheColu.mn reported).
Don’t Rule Anything Out
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will leave office after ten years in 2027. A successor will be elected by the Federal Assembly, which comprises members of the Bundestag and delegates from the states. The black-red coalition plans to settle on a nominee only in the autumn.
Several outlets covered the petition. According to Stern TV, Kerkeling remarked about a potential nomination: “I have to be honest with you, after everything that’s happening in the world and who is at the helm of nations — I’m not ruling anything out anymore.” His tone, however, was clearly ironic. Online petitions typically have little influence on political decision-making.
CSD Patron in Golßen and Leipzig
Hape Kerkeling is this year’s patron of Christopher Street Day on June 20 in Golßen, a town in Brandenburg (TheColu.mn reported). Additionally, he will support CSD Leipzig as an “official ambassador.” The organizers announced this on Wednesday.
“Our motto this year, ‘No Rest, No Return — Gay Rights Piece by Piece!’ sounds combative, and it needs to be. Because we all feel that the wind is turning colder,” Kerkeling writes in his greeting for the Leipzig CSD on July 18. “When gains we once believed secure come back into question, when people must fear walking hand-in-hand through our city centers, that’s a warning sign for all of us. Freedom is not a state you achieve once and then store away. Freedom is like a garden: you have to tend it, nurture it, and sometimes defend it against weeds.”
