"Small family clan": Union doubts Habeck's leadership - Trittin is also critical

Green Economics Minister Robert Habeck has come under increasing criticism for allegations against his state secretary.

Jürgen Trittin also speaks of a mistake.

Berlin – Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) and those around him are faced with harsh allegations.

It's about the accusation of nepotism.

Specifically, the Greens Minister of Economics is criticized because his most important state secretary, Patrick Graichen, is said to have awarded the post of head of the energy agency to his close friend and best man Michael Schäfer.

A case of felt in the Green Ministry?

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In the crisis: Robert Habeck (right) and his State Secretary Patrick Graichen.

© Chris Emil Janssen/Imago

Best man affair about Habeck and Graichen: Trittin demands quick consequences

The Greens politician Jürgen Trittin commented on the incident

on

He spoke of a mistake on the part of Graichen, which must be corrected immediately.

Trittin is calling for the relevant post to be filled at the German Energy Agency (Dena).

In his opinion, if Schäfer was recalled as soon as possible, the matter could be settled.

Habeck has also spoken out in favor of filling the position of Dena boss.

Both Habeck and Graichen have also publicly apologized for the incident.

But according to research by

, other acquaintances of Graichen are said to have received important posts in the past.

Habeck confronted with felt allegations - Trittin criticizes the dynamics in the traffic light coalition

Jürgen Trittin not only criticized the way the posts were awarded, but also the dynamics within the traffic light coalition.

He complains that the coalition partners are currently spending a lot of time criticizing each other, such as now when it comes to staffing in the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The traffic light partners are currently less concerned with achieving something together in the coalition.

The 68-year-old politician also warns against linking the current post affair with Habeck's energy policy as a whole.

There is currently a "rebellion in the fossil gas industry" against Habeck's heating revolution.

According to Trittin, who has been a member of the Bundestag for the Greens for 25 years, Graichen's misconduct should be strictly separated from this topic and should not provide any reason for the campaign "from the right-wing corner" to prevent Habeck's building energy law to be successful.

Habeck under fire from Kubicki: "Dodgy entanglements"

There are also harsh allegations from the traffic light coalition against the Green Minister for Economic Affairs.

FDP Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki said on Wednesday (May 3) that Robert Habeck was playing a "lousy power-political game".

He specifically accused him of preventing the expansion of the A23 in Schleswig-Holstein, although the black-green state government had decided otherwise.

Kubicki also alluded to the Graichen affair and said: "I can understand that Robert Habeck is under pressure because of the shady family entanglements in his house.

But if he thinks he is distracting himself from his personal suffering in such an unscrupulous way, he will find that this will have massive parliamentary consequences.”

Habeck and the best man affair offers fuel for the Union

The opposition is also handing out sharp attacks.

Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) particularly criticizes Habeck's lack of cooperation with the federal states in the energy transition.

Kretschmer condemned Habeck's "autocratic, high-handed political style" as "not a good example" for Germany.

Instead of giving orders from above, a "joint discussion" is necessary to find a consensus.

"We have told Minister Habeck several times that what is happening in his house - and especially in the person of State Secretary Graichen - is something that was completely against the policy of the Federal Republic of Germany over the past decades," said Kretschmer.

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Graichen affair: CDU expresses doubts about Habeck's administration

The general secretary of the CDU, Mario Czaja, has expressed concerns about Habeck's administration as a whole.

In an interview with the broadcaster

Czaja said: "The integrity of the Federal Minister of Economics himself is in question." He criticized Habeck's environment, which was "basically just a small family clan", "where everyone is related or related by marriage".

In addition, the Vice-Chancellor had filled 18 department head positions without advertising and was governing "against the expertise of the ministry," said Czaja.

However: Other ministries are said to have awarded positions without advertising.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) is accused of having filled a number of posts in this way.

Machine assistance was used for this editorial-written article.

The article was carefully checked by editor Stephanie Munk before publication.

List of rubrics: © Chris Emil Janssen/Imago