Opposition wants Lucha's dismissal

Created: 04/05/2022Updated: 04/05/2022 18:33

Hans-Ulrich Rülke (FDP, l), parliamentary group leader and Andreas Stoch (SPD), parliamentary group leader.

© Marijan Murat/dpa

Minister of Health Lucha had to take a lot of criticism due to breakdowns in the Corona crisis.

Now that's enough, the SPD and FDP think - and are urging Kretschmann to fire the minister.

The two are anything but green, especially when it comes to Corona politics.

Stuttgart – FDP and SPD want to turn the state parliament into a stage for a general settlement with Minister of Health Manne Lucha (Greens).

On Tuesday, the two parliamentary groups unanimously approved a motion for dismissal, with which they want to urge Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) to fire the minister because of “blatant blunders” in pandemic policy.

Lucha no longer has any authority and damages trust in politics.

Kretschmann, on the other hand, backed his minister.

The Greens group leader called the request unfounded and ridiculous.

The application has no chance of success against the votes of the Greens and CDU.

SPD parliamentary group leader Andreas Stoch and FDP parliamentary group leader Hans-Ulrich Rülke accuse Lucha of a whole series of mistakes in the corona policy of the past two years.

The minister failed to protect the elderly and those in need of care, for example by implementing compulsory testing in the facilities too late.

He also failed to launch a successful booster campaign for old people's and nursing homes.

In addition, he was responsible for the purchase of inadequate protective masks and had messed up the organization of the vaccinations.

In addition, in the application submitted to the German Press Agency, Lucha is held responsible for a poor test strategy in schools and daycare centers, poor communication and legal errors in the Corona regulations.

"In the past two years, Minister of Social Affairs Lucha has repeatedly shown that he is overwhelmed with the fight against the corona pandemic," the paper says.

But it was Lucha’s push to end the pandemic corona situation that broke the camel’s back.

The Greens recently asked Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) in a letter to herald the change from the pandemic to the endemic phase at the end of April.

Means: The corona virus is then classified like the flu virus, there would be practically no more tests and no more mandatory quarantine.

After Prime Minister Kretschmann distanced himself from Lucha, the minister rowed back.

On Monday, the health ministers of the federal and state governments had nevertheless agreed that from May 1st, people infected with corona and contact persons would usually only have to be in isolation or quarantine voluntarily and for a short period of time.

Prime Minister Kretschmann spoke on Tuesday not of a substantive error, but of a communicative error on the part of Lucha - without consequences.

With the wording at the time, Lucha caused confusion.

Despite all the criticism, he wants to stick to his health minister.

"I'm not going to fire him, I don't know why," he said.

A minister is dismissed in the event of serious personal misconduct and if he has caused serious damage - but that is not the case.

Baden-Württemberg came through the crisis better than other countries, the head of government summed up.

The minister did a "good job".

"I will not comply with this request for dismissal."

Stoch and Rülke had requested a special session of parliament on the subject, but the President of the State Parliament Muhterem Aras (Greens) had rejected it.

SPD and FDP had already called for Lucha's withdrawal in the past.

The application for dismissal is now a further step, said Stoch on Tuesday.

"If the state's social affairs minister writes letters to Berlin that mean a complete departure from the state government's previous corona policy, and the prime minister publicly contradicts him, then the measure is finally full," said the SPD politician to the dpa.

The motion is expected to be voted on Thursday.

In contrast to the Bundestag, the state parliament can also ensure the dismissal of members of the government according to the state constitution.

If two-thirds of the MPs want it that way, the prime minister will have to part with a member of the government.

However, the SPD and FDP are far from achieving the required majority - even with the votes of the AfD, which announced on Tuesday that it wanted to join.

AfD faction leader Bernd Gögel criticized that Lucha had spent a lot of money for months on the wrong measures in the Corona crisis.

"Learning by doing cannot be part of a minister's toolkit."

SPD (19), FDP (18) and AfD (17) together make up only 54 of the 154 MPs in the state parliament.

For Greens parliamentary group leader Andreas Schwarz, it is therefore also a "purely showy application" by the opposition.

Lucha continues to have the support of the government factions.

The probability that parliamentarians from the Greens or the CDU would vote for Lucha's dismissal on Thursday was "between very, very low and zero".

The move is also ridiculous, since the SPD and FDP have represented diametrically different opinions on corona policy.

more on the subject

FDP and SPD want to apply for Lucha's dismissal

Green boss calls the application for dismissal against Lucha "ridiculous"

AfD also wants to vote for Lucha's dismissal

Stoch said it was not a mock debate, but about the responsibility for the country, which must now be placed in more capable hands.

Anyone who votes against the motion bears responsibility for the mistakes that can be expected if Lucha stays in office.

Rülke, who as a liberal advocates easing of corona policy and should therefore welcome Lucha's initiative, said that it was not about a substantive, but a political and communicative blunder on the part of the minister.

He doesn't understand the course of his own state government.

Lucha lost his authority because Kretschmann whistled him back like that - that's why he had to go.

Lucha himself was attacked on Tuesday.

"It doesn't roll off," said the minister about the renewed attack by the opposition.

He took note of the application.

That is the right of the opposition.

Lucha said he's no saint but has been on duty 24/7 for the past two years.

"I'm burning for the topics like on the first day," said the minister.

"As long as the prime minister says: "Keep working", I'll keep working." dpa