Berlin - One of the Green Party's lead candidates, Renate Kuenast, expressed regret on Wednesday at the decision of a prominent party member to quit - over a dead fish. Author and actress Barbara Ruetting said she could not remain in the party - which she had represented in the Bavarian parliament - after Kuenast was shown killing a freshly caught fish on German ARD state television.
The 81-year-old said her vote would now go to a marginal animal-rights party instead.
"The decision was not easy," Ruetting told ARD on Tuesday. She referred to Kuenast's three deadly blows to the fish, during a programme screened in August, as her reason for quitting.
Kuenast insisted animal rights issues were still high on the party's agenda. "We Greens will continue to engage actively for animal protection," the parliamentary leader told German daily Bild.
Kuenast is co-heading the Green Party's campaign, ahead of Sunday's general election.
Germany's fishing association expressed support for Kuenast, saying that it was appropriate to stun a freshly caught fish by hitting it with a stick.
"Anglers who ... behave sensibly have an educative role," said association expert Thomas Meinelt.
Ruetting, who has acted in more than 45 films, had previously left the Green Party over charges that it had turned its back on pacifism.
After re-joining the Greens she entered the Bavarian parliament in 2003, a position she retired from earlier this year.
