After months of criticism
Defense Minister Lambrecht asks Scholz to be released
01/16/2023, 10:05 am
The execution finally takes place: Defense Minister Lambrecht asks Chancellor Scholz to be dismissed. By the end of the week it will be clear that Defense Minister Lambrecht will resign. After that, however, there was silence in the federal government. It is not immediately clear who will succeed Lambrecht.
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht resigns. She asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz to be dismissed, the minister said in a statement. “The media focus on my person for months hardly allows factual reporting and discussion about the soldiers, the Bundeswehr and security policy decisions in the interests of the citizens of Germany,” writes Lambrecht accordingly. “The valuable work of the servicewomen and men and the many motivated people in the business area must be in the foreground. That’s why I decided to make my office available.” She thanks everyone “who is committed to our safety every day and wishes them all the best for the future.” There is no direct successor plan.
As early as Friday evening, several media reported unanimously that Lambrecht was about to withdraw from her ministerial post. The 57-year-old has been criticized for months, the opposition Union had repeatedly called for her resignation. Critics accused her of the sluggish start of procurement for the Bundeswehr or a lack of expertise, but also her appearance in public. A photo of her son traveling in a Bundeswehr helicopter made negative headlines. She recently caused irritation with a New Year’s message spread on Instagram, in which she spoke about the Ukraine war accompanied by New Year’s Eve fireworks.
Ukraine war upgrades Ministry of Defence
This means that a central post in the traffic light cabinet must now be filled by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Ministry of Defense has also come into focus as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. In response, Germany launched a 100 billion euro program to better equip the Bundeswehr. The Ministry of Defense also plays an important role in supporting Ukraine. In mid-December, Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended his defense minister against criticism. “The Bundeswehr has a first-class defense minister,” Scholz told the Süddeutsche Zeitung at the time. “I can only wonder about some of the criticism.” It is now a question of strengthening the Bundeswehr in the long term and reliably equipping it with weapons and ammunition.
Lambrecht took over the Ministry of Defense with the start of the traffic light government at the end of 2021. She had previously been Federal Minister of Justice in Angela Merkel’s last cabinet, and after Franziska Giffey’s resignation, she also headed the Ministry for Family Affairs. Lambrecht is the second minister to resign from office since the start of the traffic light government. Last year, the Greens politician Anne Spiegel resigned as Minister for Family Affairs – because of her role as Minister of the Environment for Rhineland-Palatinate during the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley in July 2021.