The Left Party in Germany is calling for the abolition of all noble titles in the country. “Noble titles do not fit in the year 2025 and should be erased from official documents” said party leader Ines Schwerdtner in an interview with the “Stern”.
According to Schwerdtner, such titles are “remnants of a time when privileges and power were tied to birth.” She added, “A modern democracy that writes equality for all on its banner does not need barons, counts and hereditary princes.”
Schwerdtner is running for a seat in the German parliament in the Berlin-Lichtenberg district, which has been held by former Left Party leader Gesine Lötzsch. Her rival from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is party vice-chair Beatrix von Storch. Schwerdtner is calling on her opponent to give up her title, saying, “Beatrix von Storch and the other blue-blooded know-it-alls should relinquish their titles.” The privileges of the nobility were already abolished in the Weimar Republic, Schwerdtner noted and it is now only consistent to eliminate the titles as well.
The party leader cited the example of Austria, where the use of noble titles has been banned since 1919. “Who wants a democracy on an equal footing must challenge the nobility and make it clear that even a Beatrix von Storch does not stand above us all” Schwerdtner said.