Gay man tipped as German foreign minister
An openly gay man has been tipped to become Germany’s foreign minister.
Guido Westerwelle, the leader of the Free Democrat Party, may form a coalition government with Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats after Sunday’s elections, if the polls prove to be correct.
It is thought he may be rewarded with the post of foreign minister, The Times reports.
However, there is uncertainty about how his status as an openly gay man in a relationship will go down with other world leaders.
The newspaper suggested that tension could arise in dealings with leaders such as Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who denies the existence of gays, or Italian leader Silvo Berlusconi, who used rumours of homosexuality to remove a newspaper editor he clashed with.
Westerwelle, 47, revealed he had a long-term partner in 2004. He attended Merkel’s 50th birthday party with his partner, businessman Michael Mronz, who he sometimes takes on business trips.
