Her Minister of Defense Germany Christine Lambrecht (SPD) is due to step down next week, according to a post on the Sueddeutsche Zeitung website, citing information from the minister’s associates. BILD also reported the issue earlier.

In recent months, Ms Lambrecht has come under fire from both the opposition and the media, as well as officials close to the ruling coalition, for a series of mistakes, with Chancellor Olaf Soltz always covering for her by expressing his confidence in her.

The most recent incident involved her New Year’s Instagram post, in which she talked about the war in Ukraine, while crackers and fireworks from the New Year’s celebrations in Berlin were heard behind her. However, the essence of her statements also became the subject of comments. “There is a war going on in the heart of Europe. And in this regard, I gained a lot of experience, many meetings with interesting and wonderful people. And for that I thank you sincerely,” she declared, her voice barely audible over the noise of the fireworks. Her critics spoke of a “shameful image”.

Previously, Christine Lambrecht, who began her public career as Deputy Finance Minister Olaf Scholz in the last government of Angela Merkel and then headed the Ministry of Justice, on the one hand, caused comments because of her treatment of the Ministry of Defense, which recorded serious problems and lack of funds. protection and on the other hand, when it turned out that on many trips she was accompanied by her 22-year-old son, who traveled on planes and helicopters of the armed forces and even uploaded photos of them on social networks. In addition, just hours after the start of the war in Ukraine, Ms Lambrecht was seen in a beauty salon with a manicure, which was criticized as lack of sensitivity to the seriousness of the situation.

According to S.Z., Mrs. Lambrecht could not bear the burden of the Ministry of Defense from the beginning of her term, while she admitted that she did not want to occupy a specific position, and admitted that she did not know the ranks of the armed forces. . At the start of the war in Ukraine, when asked about the military assistance Germany would offer, she said she would send 5,000 helmets to Kyiv. The problems continued, among other things, revealed a shortage of ammunition, technical problems with the PUMA tanks that the Bundeswehr would provide to NATO, and difficulties in preparing the US order for the F-35. All this led to repeated strong demands for her resignation by the opposition.

In a recent poll by Civey for the website t-online, 77% of Germans considered her unsuitable for work.

SZ reports today that Deputy Defense Minister Simtje Moeller and Bundestag Commissioner for Armed Forces Eva Hegl are being considered as possible successors to Ms. Lambrecht.

^{Source: APE-MEB}