There is hardly an appointment where Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst is not accompanied by a photographer or a camera team – at the expense of the taxpayer. The opposition sees this critically, the government justifies it with the public interest.
Düsseldorf (dpa/lnw) – Since winning the state elections in May 2022, Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) has been accompanied on 52 appointments by photographers or camera teams commissioned by the State Chancellery. This resulted in costs of 30,010.49 euros for images and 12,891.50 euros for streams or videos, as can be seen from a government statement at the request of the SPD in the Düsseldorf state parliament. “Rheinische Post” and “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” had previously reported on it.
On January 4th (the deadline for the list) the SPD made a small inquiry to the government entitled “One photo appointment follows the next – how much does the staging of the “Insta President” cost?”. The answer this week was a list of 60 libertine appointments, 52 of which included photos or videos.
“The list clearly shows that Prime Minister Wüst has many photo appointments. Appointments in which he explains his politics are rare,” criticized SPD MP Christian Obrok.
The state government, on the other hand, argues that “the frequency of political initiatives and communication events” has increased in recent years and that the population has “a significantly increased need for information”. The accompaniment of government appointments is based on the “legal mandate to inform the public appropriately”.
