Former SPD opponents
Lafontaine on Schröder: “The bottom line is not bad”
Oskar Lafontaine was once Prime Minister of Saarland, SPD candidate for chancellor and SPD leader. photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
Once one was Federal Finance Minister, the other Chancellor – then the falling out followed. Many years later, Lafontaine spoke positively about Schröder.
Around 25 years after his resignation from Gerhard Schröder’s federal cabinet (SPD), Oskar Lafontaine made positive comments about the former chancellor and his former opponent. Looking at Schröder’s overall record, Lafontaine told the news magazine “Spiegel”: “I try to evaluate it fairly and compare Schröder with Merkel and Scholz. The bottom line is that Schröder is not doing badly.” The current Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is “a big disappointment” for him.
Lafontaine, who was born in Saarlouis, was once Prime Minister of Saarland, SPD candidate for chancellor, SPD federal chairman, federal finance minister, co-founder of the Left Party and its party and parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag. He left the SPD in 2005 and turned his back on the Left Party in 2022.
As Chancellor, Angela Merkel always followed US policy, said Lafontaine. Schröder had the courage to admit mistakes. “He admitted, for example, that the war in Yugoslavia was illegal under international law,” he said. “And he has stamina.” Lafontaine explained: “The fact that, unlike Merkel, Steinmeier and everyone else, he has not given in when it comes to the relationship with Russia shows that.”
The two ex-SPD grandees, who had been silent between them for decades, reconciled last year at a meeting in Merzig, Saarland. Lafontaine, who was the same age, said he called Schröder on his 80th birthday. It was a nice and friendly phone call. “With time apart, it’s easier to deal with differences.”