In late 1989, she joined forces with Lothar Späth, Heiner Geißler, Kurt Biedenkopf and others in an unsuccessful effort to oust Kohl as CDU chairman. Süssmuth was a member of the German Bundestag from 1987 to 2002. In the federal elections in 1987, 1990 and 1994 she won the direct mandate in the constituency of Göttingen and in 1998, she moved into parliament via the state list of the CDU Lower Saxony. After the resignation of Philipp Jenninger in 1988 Süssmuth became the 10th President of the Bundestag. She held the post until 1998, when the SPD became the strongest group in parliament. Her tenure saw the German reunification. In December 1989, Süssmuth advocated a joint declaration by both German states on the recognition of the Polish western border. From 1986 to 2001, Süssmuth served as president of the Frauen Union (the organization of the female members of the CDU) and therefore had a strong influence in her party. Political positions Süssmuth is a supporter of the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, an organisation which advocates for democratic reformation of the United Nations. Ahead of the Christian Democrats’ leadership election in 2021, Süssmuth publicly endorsed Armin Laschet to succeed Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as the party’s chair. Life after politics In September 2000, Federal Minister of the Interior Otto Schily appointed Süssmuth as head of a high-profile bipartisan commission to overhaul Germany's immigration policies. The commission's task was to develop an overall concept for new immigration legislature. The results of the committee were presented in July 2001, in the form of a 323-paged report titled "Crafting Immigration - Promoting Integration" ("Zuwanderung gestalten - Integration fördern"). In 2002, Süssmuth became a member of the Limbach Kommission, which acts as a mediator in questions of Nazi looted art. On 6 September 2005, Süssmuth was appointed as the new President of the state-approved Berlin OTA Private University (OTA Hochschule), today SRH Hochschule Berlin. She was succeeded by Peter Eichhorn in January 2010. After leaving politics, Süssmuth has als been involved in a number of philanthropic and business activities, including the following: UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention, Co-Chair (since 2010) Technical University of Berlin, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees (since 2010) European Policy Centre (EPC), Member of the Strategic Council Global Commission on International Migration, Member (2003–2005) Migration Policy Institute (MPI), Member of the Board of Trustees Heinz