Empty space in the cabinet: how things will continue after Lambrecht’s withdrawal


FAQ

Status: 01/16/2023 2:35 p.m

After Lambrecht’s resignation, Scholz has a personnel problem to solve in addition to the tank problem – time is pressing. At the same time, he needs a specialist with convincing content for the Ministry of Defence. How it could go on.

the initial situation

It was a resignation with an announcement: the information that Christine Lambrecht would resign from the post of defense minister was already gathering on Friday evening. The official confirmation came on Monday morning in the form of a dry written statement from the SPD politician. In it she complains about “months of media focus on her person”, which hardly allows “objective reporting and discussion about the soldiers, the Bundeswehr and security policy decisions in the interests of the citizens of Germany”. Therefore, she asked the Chancellor for her dismissal.

Olaf Scholz has another problem to solve – to fill the vacancy in the important post in the military department. And not only as quickly as possible, but also convincing in terms of content. The Ministry of Defense is one of the most important departments in the cabinet at this time, and the Bundeswehr is facing massive problems and enormous challenges. Key word: turning point. The newcomer will not have time to familiarize himself with it for a long time. Lambrecht goes – the problems remain.

The requirement profile

Scholz needs a personality with authority, preferably from the field. Someone with “Bundeswehr stable smell” would be an advantage. Filling the position with a junior employee from the second or third row is probably not an option in these challenging times. It is therefore important that the person has a lot of political experience and, ideally, has already managed large ministries successfully. It has to be someone from the SPD. Whether it’s a man or a woman depends on whether Scholz is planning a major change in the cabinet.

If he only wants to replace Lambrecht’s post 1:1, it would have to be a woman, since Scholz had promised gender parity in the cabinet when he took office. On the other hand, if the chancellor takes the opportunity for a larger exchange of rings, a man could rise to the top of the defense ministry as long as there are still an equal number of women and men in the cabinet. It is assumed that Interior Minister Nancy Faeser will also give up her post at the beginning of February and move to Hesse as the SPD’s top candidate. Scholz could therefore plan bigger.

Why Scholz is under pressure

But Scholz doesn’t have much time. A vacuum at the top of defense comes at the worst possible time. The Chancellor still has the tank debate breathing down his neck, and the pressure has increased since the British promised to supply main battle tanks.

The Ukraine contact group of NATO and other allies will meet in Ramstein on Friday to discuss further arms deliveries to Ukraine. Germany should not be left without a defense minister in these talks. For weeks, the German government has left the difficult question unanswered as to whether Germany will deliver “Leopard 2” tanks or whether other states will give permission for these “Leopard” tanks to be handed over to Ukraine. There are several opinions in the traffic light parties.

At the same time, Scholz cannot afford a “quick shot” with the staff. The decision in favor of Christine Lambrecht came as a surprise to observers, and despite increasing criticism, Scholz held on to the loyal party friend for a long time. Too long, says the Union opposition in particular.

Who is being discussed for the successor

Several names have been traded for days. First of all: the military commissioner Eva Högl. The former domestic politician is credited with having quickly familiarized herself with the depths of the Bundeswehr and its needs after taking office two and a half years ago. She pointed out the massive lack of equipment in the troops early on, campaigned for a higher proportion of women in the Bundeswehr and called for more decisive action against right-wing extremist soldiers.

Should Scholz actually decide in favor of Högl as Lambrecht’s successor, he will probably have to reckon with more opposition to his course in the Ukraine war. Because Högl is much more open to arms deliveries to Ukraine than Lambrecht. Another argument against the 54-year-old SPD politician is that she has never managed a large administrative apparatus.

Also the name Siemtje Moller keeps falling. The 39-year-old has been Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defense since 2021, so she would not have to familiarize herself with it for long. Nevertheless, only outsider chances are attributed to her, also because she has never led a ministry. Möller comes from the state association of Lower Saxony and was elected to the Bundestag for the first time in 2017. From 2020 to 2022 she was one of the spokespersons for the “Seeheimer Kreis”, an association of SPD members of the Bundestag, who is considered a conservative wing within the parliamentary group.

The SPD leader is also a hot candidate Lars Klingbeil. What speaks against him: He is a man. If he took office without further changes in the cabinet, parity within the cabinet would no longer be guaranteed. What also speaks against him: He is the head of the SPD and the party had actually spoken out in favor of maintaining political legroom with Chancellor Scholz. Also to prevent becoming a “Chancellor Election Association”.

His expertise speaks for Klingbeil: He has been a member of the Bundestag since 2009 and is, among other things, a deputy member of the defense committee. He is himself the son of a career soldier and was already a candidate for the post of defense minister in 2021. However, he did not get beyond candidate status. Klingbeil has never led a ministry.

Chancellery Minister Wolfgang Schmidt is also traded for the Lambrecht successor. The string puller in the background is one of Scholz’s closest confidants, which in turn speaks against him because Scholz hardly wants to do without him in the Chancellery. The 52-year-old is said to have expertise in defense and armaments.

What remains is the “warhorse” Hubertus Heil. That’s what Chancellor Scholz called his party friend when he presented his new cabinet. Heil successfully manages the mammoth department of work and social affairs, he has just launched the citizen income reform. The Lower Saxon can therefore deal with large government apparatuses. Heil has been in charge of the labor and social affairs department since 2018. He is deputy SPD chairman, was SPD general secretary for several years and has been a member of the Bundestag since 1998.

If an SPD politician took over the Ministry of Labor for him, that could also solve the question of equal representation. The change would also be conceivable in the course of a major restructuring in the cabinet.

A successor is to be presented “soon” – Matthias Deiß, ARD Berlin, to succeed Lambrecht

Tagesschau 12:00 p.m., 16.1.2023

What’s next?

Chancellor Scholz wants to settle the successor to Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht “promptly”. Scholz accepted SPD politician Lambrecht’s request for dismissal, said deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann. “The Chancellor respects Ms. Lambrecht’s decision and thanks her for the good work she has done during this difficult and challenging time as Secretary of Defense.”

A successor decision is now expected for Tuesday or Wednesday. Scholz wants to stick to gender parity in the cabinet: “It is important to the Chancellor that the cabinet is made up of equal numbers,” said Hoffmann.

Lambrecht will formally remain Minister of Defense until she has received the letter of dismissal from the Federal President. “The Ministry of Defense is not leaderless,” said a spokesman. According to the information, Lambrecht herself was not in the Ministry of Defense on Monday, and it is also unclear whether she will appear there again. But she is available.

Lambrecht is number 2

Christine Lambrecht is the second minister to resign from Scholz’s traffic light cabinet. In April 2022, Family Minister Anne Spiegel resigned from her post. The trigger was criticism of the behavior of the Green politician as Rhineland-Palatinate environment minister during the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley in 2021. Lisa Paus is her successor.

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