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Anne Spiegel
Photo: Markus Schreiber / AFP
The opposition parties are increasingly calling for the resignation of Federal Family Minister Anne Spiegel (Greens).
The reason is new information about Spiegel's vacation of several weeks after the historic flood last summer, when she was still Minister for the Environment and Vice Prime Minister in Rhineland-Palatinate.
"Ulla Heinen-Esser took responsibility because she was on vacation after the flood disaster, but Ms. Spiegel is still in office, why?" said the CDU treasurer and long-time CDU state chairwoman in Rhineland-Palatinate, Julia Klöckner MIRROR.
During the flood, Ursula Heinen-Esser was Environment Minister in North Rhine-Westphalia, which was also hard hit.
She resigned from her post last week after it became known that she had vacationed in Mallorca for a long time during and after the flood, returned there after a visit to Germany and then even spent her husband's birthday there with guests celebrated by the state government.
As the "Bild am Sonntag" reports, citing Spiegel's then state ministry, Spiegel went to France with her family for four weeks ten days after the flood.
She had therefore interrupted her vacation to visit the crisis area, but then returned.
The ministry could not be reached immediately by phone for confirmation on Sunday afternoon.
A committee of inquiry in the state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate is currently working on Spiegel's role.
So far, allegations have revolved around the evening of the flood, which Spiegel claims to have spent in its office.
"One has to imagine that Ms. Spiegel could not be reached in the evening and on the night of the flood, even though she knew the information about the impending catastrophe," said Klöckner.
"In the evening and at night she didn't even let herself be taught, didn't initiate any coordination in the state government, let alone was on site."
JU boss Kuban accuses Spiegel of "level limbo".
Spiegel herself says that she made several phone calls in the evening and that she was easily reachable.
She points out that the Ministry of the Interior is not responsible for civil protection, but rather the Ministry of the Interior.
However, at that time Spiegel was also the deputy of Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD).
The head of the Junge Union, Tilman Kuban (CDU), also called for her resignation: "You can't demand high standards from other governments and dance level limbo with your own people.
The Green party and parliamentary group leadership must act and persuade Anne Spiegel to resign.«
Dietmar Bartsch, the head of the parliamentary group of the Left Party in the Bundestag, also demanded an explanation: “The Greens must act immediately, trust in politics as a whole will be destroyed.
When does Frau Spiegel explain herself, when does the Grünenspitze?”
The "Bild" quotes the CDU chairman and Union parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz as saying: "The Chancellor must dismiss her."