BDefense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) is said to be determined to resign from her post. This is reported by the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, ntv and the “Bild” newspaper, the latter first reported on the decision. The German press agency also received indications from several sources that Lambrecht could make a decision on the office in the coming week.
The initiative came from her, writes the “Bild”, citing “several people familiar with the processes”. However, the exact date of their planned departure has not yet been determined. The “SZ” writes that Lambrecht wants to resign from office next week, citing the minister’s environment.
A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Defense said on Friday evening when asked by the AFP news agency: “These are rumors that we do not comment on.”
Beginning of nine required
According to “Bild”, the reason for the resignation is Lambrecht’s view that a fresh start is necessary in the Ministry of Defense. According to the report, the successor is already being discussed in government and SPD circles. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl (SPD), would be given good chances.
The opposition Union has repeatedly called for Lambrecht’s resignation. Critics accused her of the sluggish start of procurement for the Bundeswehr or a lack of expertise, but also her appearance in public. A photo of her son traveling in a Bundeswehr helicopter made negative headlines.
In mid-December, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) defended his defense minister against criticism. “The Bundeswehr has a first-class defense minister,” Scholz told the Süddeutsche Zeitung at the time. “I can only be surprised at some of the criticism.” It is now a matter of strengthening the Bundeswehr in the long term and reliably equipping it with weapons and ammunition.
Majority of Germans according to the survey for Lambrechts
The defense policy spokesman for the Union faction, Florian Hahn, welcomed Lambrecht’s possible resignation as a “positive prospect” for the Bundeswehr. “I would have the greatest respect for such a step,” said the CSU politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “That would be a conciliatory conclusion and a positive outlook for our Bundeswehr.”
According to a survey, the majority of Germans support Lambrecht’s resignation. This emerged from the ZDF “political barometer” published on Friday. According to this, 60 percent of those surveyed were in favor of the minister resigning; 25 percent opposed it. Even within the SPD, 50 percent were in favor of resigning; 38 percent were in favor of staying in office.
Lambrecht took over the Ministry of Defense with the start of the traffic light government in December 2021. Previously, she had been Federal Minister of Justice in the last cabinet of Angela Merkel (CDU), after the resignation of Franziska Giffey she had also headed the Ministry of Family Affairs. However, she no longer ran for the Bundestag in the 2021 federal elections and was therefore actually considered a dropout from politics.
Since Scholz had decided in Karl Lauterbach for a man to hold the office of Federal Minister of Health, an SPD woman in the defense department was practically set for reasons of parity. “For many, the nomination as Secretary of Defense will come as a surprise,” said Lambrecht when she was received with military honors when she took office in December 2021.
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