Scandal at Chancellor Call? Merkel had to brake angry Laschet - but he continues to fuel the argument

Dealing with the Corona crisis apparently causes violent arguments behind the scenes. A video call allegedly caused a scandal. The Zoff is not over yet. 

• The corona virus * continues to dominate politics in Germany - modified protective measures apply from Monday *.
• Chancellor Angela Merkel presented the easing on Wednesday, but a dispute continues to smolder.
• Apparently, the conflict is sometimes emotional, even at the highest level. Armin Laschet, head of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, is always there.

Berlin / Düsseldorf - It is now known that dealing with the corona crisis leads to controversy down to the highest government level. However, a new report shows the level of irritability once again - and again suggests that in the struggle for the course in the federal and state governments not everyone always adheres to laboriously agreed agreements. Once again in focus: North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU).

Corona virus: hick-hack in protective measures - and a scandal in video calls?

Only on Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), together with Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) and Hamburg's Governing Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD), presented an agreement on easing. 

Since then, the federal states have nevertheless striven in astonishingly different directions. No wonder: Apparently there had been a scandal at the video call by the federal government and country heads - the Spiegel reports in its current edition.

Coronavirus: Zoff in the struggle for loosening - Merkel had to slow Laschet

According to the news magazine, the stumbling block was, among other things, the planned opening for shops with up to 800 square meters of retail space : Merkel actually preferred a limit of 400 square meters, Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz also wanted to open malls. The half-way compromise then questioned Economic Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) of all people and only opened it up to 15 May - to the loud disapproval of Laschet.

Laschet had warned that many of the shops affected would no longer be there - he expected the Minister for Economic Affairs to be more sensitive. Even in spite of the support of his antipode in the design of the corona measures, Markus Söder, Laschet continued to express his point of view with "angry gestures", writes Der Spiegel . Until the Chancellor finally intervened: “Armin, everyone can see how upset you are. Peter supports the compromise ”.

Corona in Germany: Laschet does not get his will - and goes on his own course

So Laschet apparently got his will on this question. In other questions, the round of top politicians  , according to the report, slowed down the NRW state chief, who was always trying to relax . So Söder torpedoed an attempt to restart for services - there was also no opening permit for furniture stores.

Laschet, however, does not seem to be particularly affected: He brought the furniture stores, at least in his country, back to business via the NRW special route - the candidate for the CDU chancellor candidacy once again publicly advocated the opening of the service on Sunday. 

"If you open shops, you can also pray in churches," said Laschet on Sunday on Deutschlandfunk. The fact that people are not allowed to meet for services is a massive restriction of fundamental rights, which must be justified every day anew.

Corona virus and politics: Laschet drums for opening - Greens criticize CDU "election campaign"

On the same day, Laschet also drummed on Twitter for a new start for other areas of life. This time he was considering schools. “Rise through education was the promise of more social justice. What does it mean to deny pupils school for weeks? ”Laschet asked rhetorically.

I hope that the CDU will quickly choose a new chairman. This election campaign at this time. This is really hard to bear in the long run.

On the part of the Greens , it set a tough counterattack. The MEP Erik Marquardt threw Laschet election campaign  to the top CDU calculated in the sensitive field of the fight against the pandemic before. "I would like the CDU to quickly elect a new chairman," he replied to Laschet's post. "This election campaign at this time. It's really hard to bear in the long run. ”

Laschet in the corona crisis: Altmaier warns of a political “chicken pile” - but voters judge differently

Serious allegations also came from the SPD. Derya Türk-Nachbauer, member of the Baden-Württemberg state executive of the Social Democrats, recalled the "responsibility" of politics. "The young people are worried about their fellow human beings, it has nothing to do with 'refusal' to do what they have to do at school," she said.

Altmaier, of all people, delivered a first  indirect order call at the weekend. "We must not run around like a pile of chickens and alternately outdo each other with tightening and loosening," he warned in the picture on Sunday . “If we keep our nerve now, we can avoid a second lockdown. That is why joint action by the federal and state governments is so important. "

However, Laschet's opening rate is just as popular with Söder as on the other side of the spectrum: In an infratest-dimpa survey on behalf of the WDR , the citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia gave him a good report : 65 percent (plus eleven points in comparison November 2019) of the respondents were satisfied with the political work of the Prime Minister - the CDU as a whole even gained eight percentage points on the Sunday question to 40 percent.

fn (with material from dpa)

* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.

Rubric list picture: © AFP / TOBIAS SCHWARZ