After expected resignation
Who could follow Lambrecht?
01/14/2023, 7:14 p.m
It’s not official – but Defense Minister Lambrecht is expected to resign soon. This also raises the question of who should take over the difficult department. Over half a dozen candidates are already being discussed. Will a woman do it again?
According to ntv information, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht will soon resign from her post. The follow-up debate is already underway. Who could take over the department from the SPD politician, which is considered extremely challenging?
The male SPD politicians who are traded as possible successors include the Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil. A change of department from Heil would still result in a change in the cabinet. However, it is considered unlikely that there will be a major reshuffle of the cabinet, which will also affect the previous division of departments among the three traffic light parties.
In addition to Heil, several other possible successors are circulating in Berlin and in the SPD, reports the “Southgerman newspaper”: Including the 54-year-old Eva Högl. The SPD politician has been the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces since 2020, but has publicly shown no willingness to take on the ministerial post. It counts loud daily News but as the most promising candidate.
Klingbeil already 2021 candidate
Also SPD party leader Lars Klingbeil is according to the report as a possible Lambrecht successor. The 44-year-old comes from a Bundeswehr family, his father was a non-commissioned officer. In addition, Klingbeil was already being discussed as Minister of Defense in 2021 when Scholz put together his cabinet.
Also SPD man and head of the chancellery Wolfgang Schmidt counts according to the “SZ” report as a candidate. Although the 52-year-old is hardly known to the public, he is said to have expertise in the areas of defense and armaments. From his environment it is said that Schmidt could imagine a political role with greater visibility.
Recently, however, the FDP politician has been much more present in public Marie Agnes Strack Zimmermann, which according to the Tagesschau is also considered a possible replacement. She has been Chair of the Defense Committee since 2021, of which she has been a member since 2017. According to the coalition agreement, however, the SPD is entitled to the Ministry of Defense.
Besides is Siemtje Moller under discussion as the new Secretary of Defense. The 39-year-old has been Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense since December 2021. According to the “SZ” report, however, you are only given outsider chances – for the large and crisis-prone Ministry of Defense more experience is probably needed.
Another woman as minister?
And there is something else to consider: Chancellor Scholz took up office in 2021 with the promise of an equal number of members in his cabinet – so the same number of ministerial posts must be filled by men and women. Does this mean that all male candidates as Lambrecht successors are eliminated? “No,” said Sara Nanni, defense policy spokeswoman for the Greens parliamentary group. It is something different to formulate this goal when forming a government and then to realize it than to rule out certain options from the outset in the current situation.
However, like other politicians, Nanni spoke out in favor of clarifying the personal details as quickly as possible. “I trust the SPD that they will come to a good decision,” said the Greens politician. With a view to the current challenges posed by the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, she emphasized: “The sooner we have clarity, the better.”
“Even with this waving and this waiting and this hesitation you harm the Bundeswehr,” criticized CDU leader Friedrich Merz in Weimar. In his view, it would be good if the rumors going through the media ended with a decision by the Federal Chancellor. The opposition leader said that the Bundeswehr should again have someone as a minister who is up to the task. Lambrecht was “overwhelmed with this task right from the start”.