Germany’s labour minister, and co-leader of the Social Democrats, has abruptly stepped down from both of her leadership roles citing personal reasons – as well as harsh criticism during her time of mourning.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government faced new turbulence on Monday when a key minister from its junior coalition partner, the SPD, unexpectedly quit and criticised “attacks” from the chancellor’s party.
Bärbel Bas, labour minister and co-leader of the centre-left SPD, cited personal reasons for her resignation, saying she needed time to grieve following the death of her daughter-in-law.
But she also took aim at Merz’s conservative CDU.
“I must unfortunately note that the public attacks against me — regrettably including those from within the ranks of our coalition partner — have continued to intensify during this difficult time for me personally,” she said.
The resignation comes amid turmoil for the government, which is grappling with a sluggish economy and low poll ratings.
The far-right AfD has also soundly beaten the CDU in two recent state polls, including in the region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania where Merz’s party scored its worst ever result.
CDU politicians have accused Bas of holding up planned changes to working time regulations and pension reform.
“You can only expect criticism in that case,” the CDU leader of Rhineland-Palatinate state, Gordon Schnieder, told Welt TV on Monday, after Bas quit.
The departure risks complicating pension reform, one of the coalition’s main priorities.
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Bas’s ministry is preparing a draft bill after a government commission recommended people work longer to cope with the fact that the population is aging.
Bas is giving up her posts as both a minister and co-leader of the SPD.
She will be replaced as labour minister by Alexander Schweitzer, one of the SPD’s vice chairs, party sources told AFP.
She intends to retain her seat as an MP for Duisburg, a city at the heart of the former Ruhr mining region in northern Germany.
Merz said on X he respected Bas’s decision, adding: “I thank her for her commitment.
“As a father and a grandfather, I can only imagine how heavily this loss weighs. I wish her and her family a lot of strength.”
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