Defense Minister Lambrecht apparently wants to resign – the government remains silent
Created: 01/14/2023 08:32
By: Marc Dimitriu
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has been criticized several times.
Now she apparently wants to resign herself.
A survey reveals great approval among Germans.
Update from January 14, 6:20 a.m.:
As reported by
Bild, Süddeutsche Zeitung
and
ntv
on Friday, Defense Minister Lambrecht (SPD) apparently wants to resign.
At the request of the German Press Agency, however, there was no confirmation from the Ministry of Defense.
A spokesman said in the evening that these were rumors that would not be commented on.
Even spokesman for the federal government and SPD did not want to comment on the reports.
The opposition only raised voices after the matter had been clarified quickly.
Lambrecht could make a decision about her office in the coming week, according to information received by the dpa from several sources.
In the event of a resignation, a central post in the traffic light cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), not least against the background of the Ukraine war, would have to be filled.
After severe criticism: Defense Minister Lambrecht apparently wants to resign
First report from January 13:
Berlin – In the past, the opposition has often called for the resignation of Germany's Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) and openly questioned her suitability.
Now the minister is said to have decided to take this step herself.
Bild
claims
to have learned this from several sources.
Federal Ministry of Defense "does not want to comment on rumours"
The defense minister had recently come under increasing criticism, for example because of her son's controversial flight in a Bundeswehr helicopter or because of a video on social media that the minister shared as a kind of "New Year's speech".
She spoke about the Ukraine war while New Year's Eve firecrackers banged in the background.
Apparently, the politician is now taking the consequences of the breakdowns.
According to the
picture
report, the minister wants to take her hat off of her own accord shortly.
The exact date of her resignation has not yet been set, but the search for a successor is already underway, it said.
The military commissioner Eva Högl (SPD) is being discussed.
"These are rumors that we do not comment on," said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Defense on Friday evening when asked by the AFP news agency.
Majority of Germans for the resignation of Defense Minister Lambrecht
Not only the opposition, but also the majority of Germans are apparently in favor of Defense Minister Lambrecht resigning.
This emerges from the survey of the ZDF political barometer, which was 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, half of those surveyed (50 percent) were in favor of resigning, and only 38 percent were in favor of staying in office.