The corona virus is spreading rapidly while there is a power vacuum in Berlin. Is the old government still in office? Or is it already the new one? Or both? Resolute steps in the fight against the pandemic are not to be expected.
In normal times one should be grateful to the SPD, the Greens and the FDP. Instead of persevering in endless meetings, they quickly and discreetly negotiated a coalition agreement. There will be a government well before Christmas, which is good compared to the junk four years ago. At that time, Angela Merkel was only sworn in as Chancellor in mid-March 2018. It has gone much better now. Even so, that’s still not enough.
Because as well as the traffic light parties managed to do, a power vacuum has arisen in Berlin that the country just doesn’t need. It wasn’t a problem in the past, but it is now. The pandemic has entered its worst phase and Germany has no identifiable government. Angela Merkel does not excel with big speeches, appeals, or her famous summits. Olaf Scholz has still taken the reins in hand. When the coalition agreement was presented, he presented a seven-point plan for two weeks from now and otherwise seems to be packing the boxes in his ministerial office.
That was probably unfair now – the coalition agreement alone would probably have made full use of it. And Angela Merkel is also still active in the background. She meets with traffic light representatives, she is said to have advocated stricter measures. But there is more to running a country. It includes public appearances, speeches, and measures. And it really is the question of who is actually in power now.
Who is now at the top?
Merkel is the managing chancellor and seems to interpret that as a big “no more”. She no longer makes a big impression, she no longer takes things in hand, she no longer starts any major initiatives in the last few meters. In normal times that would be good style, after all, as the outgoing head of government, the only task left is to hand over power swept clean. And Scholz’s behavior would also be noble – for gentlemen, one does not take over the bridge until one has taken the solemn oath.
But that doesn’t work in the hottest pandemic phase. Every day counts. Just recently, RKI boss Lothar Wieler, in a duo with Health Minister Jens Spahn, called for immediate contact restrictions, and other scientists and politicians also see an urgent need for action. You don’t need a new crisis team to recognize this.
Of course, the traffic light parties did something when they passed the new Infection Protection Act through the Bundestag. That they let the old legal basis for this expire was controversial and perhaps a mistake. You may first have to wait and see whether the measures that have been in effect since Wednesday, such as 3G in the workplace. But it would be reassuring if you deserted: there is someone at the top who is in charge of supervision. Someone who uses the attention that only a Chancellor gets to make the gravity of the situation clear. It is also the job of managers to explain what is going on.
How about performing together?
It would be conceivable that Merkel and Scholz would give a big television speech together and call on people to stay at home. Just like Merkel did at the beginning of the pandemic. That would send a strong signal of unity and perhaps prevent a real lockdown. A joint convening of the Prime Minister’s Conference would also be conceivable. The power of the Chancellery is limited, in the pandemic the countries decide on their mount. But Spahn was right when he said that this format also signals to people that it is serious. We currently have no chancellor who is in dialogue with the people in the country.
If the change of government were a soccer game, Merkel would just trot off and Scholz would warm up outside. Meanwhile, nobody is in the goal and the game continues. Except it’s not a game.