Emily Vontz
“Really burnt out”: Youngest member of parliament withdraws from Bundestag
At 22, Emily Vontz was the youngest member of the Bundestag. After two years, politics is over for her again – she won’t be running in the next election.
Emily Vontz unexpectedly came to the Bundestag – and then in a special role. After the former Foreign Minister Heiko Maas gave up his mandate, Vontz moved up from his SPD state association in Saarland on January 1, 2023.
The student was 22 years old at the time and replaced Emilia Fester from the Green Party as the youngest member of the Bundestag. But after a little more than two years, Vontz, now 24, is saying goodbye to the political stage again. She no longer wants to run for a place in parliament in the early federal election on February 23rd.
Emily Vontz wants to continue studying
Among other things, the high level of stress as a member of parliament took a toll on her, Vontz told SWR. The pressure to perform is very high: “You should remain yourself, but at the same time perform and deliver perfectly from morning to evening.” After her first year in parliament she was “extremely burned out”.
In addition to her work as a member of parliament, Vontz also studied political science and French at the University of Trier and constantly commuted back and forth between Berlin, her constituency in Saarland and where she studied. She recently completed her bachelor’s degree and is now planning to do a master’s degree – preferably abroad.
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Retirement after two years in the Bundestag
The 24-year-old says she wanted to represent young people in parliament. However, in the reality of the Bundestag, she quickly learned about the hurdles in politics: “Sometimes I wished I had a magic wand to change things more quickly. But then I had to be honest and tell people that it would take time, that there was simply no money .”
“I have felt the responsibility in the last few years. I have grown from it, but it was extremely challenging,” says Vontz, looking back on her short time in the Bundestag in an interview with SWR. For her personally, working in parliament is “not a concept for the future,” and now is the right time to “take a step back.” Vontz does not want to categorically rule out the possibility that she will run for a political mandate again at some point.
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Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
