Like no other, SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich protects the wavering Chancellor and brings the Social Democrats into line. Does this man never doubt?
On Friday morning last week, Rolf Mützenich received people in his office in the Bundestag. A tea, a few cookies. And dark news too. He has another tough week behind him. Protect the Chancellor, hold the shop together, cushion criticism. The greater the government’s crisis, the more important Mützenich is. So: What should happen next for the federal government? Is there anything else going on?
His mood was already better. Some in the coalition, as Mützenich sees it, were trying to harm Olaf Scholz in order to make progress on their part; tried to restrict Scholz’s space in order to gain territory themselves. Mützenich wants to defend the space. Now that the traffic light is on the brink, he sees it as his responsibility and his obligation.
Rolf Mützenich, 64, is governing his parliamentary group with new severity
© Michael Kappeler / Picture Alliance / DPA
“As SPD parliamentary group leader,” he makes it clear, “I will not endanger any Social Democratic Chancellor.”
The message: I stand by the boss, come what may. Anyone who wants to get to him has to get past me first. At the Federal Chancellor’s bodyguard.
Mützenich briefly disappears into the back room of the office to get rid of his tie. He swaps his jacket for a sweater. Loose clothing, but not a relaxed attitude, the 64-year-old now has to warn: “Some in the coalition are not thinking about the end.” A lot of things have become unstable, the times are difficult, but loyalty is therefore particularly important. Whether it’s arms deliveries or budgetary issues: the Chancellor must be able to weigh things up carefully, says Rolf Mützenich. Without political interference. “The more you restrict the sovereignty of a head of government,” he warns, “the more difficult it will be for the coalition.” And difficult is not an expression of the situation in which the alliance and with it the Chancellor currently find themselves. But without Mützenich, the situation for Scholz would probably be even more complicated. The group leader has undergone a remarkable transformation. Shortly before the end of his career, he, who had long been a rather reserved specialist politician, became perhaps the most important support for the wavering Chancellor.
A blessing for Scholz, a risk for the SPD
No head of government has been more unpopular since this value was collected. A large proportion of those surveyed are dissatisfied with this government. The FDP is flirting with a break, the Greens are hit by popular anger, the SPD seems nervous. A dangerous mix, especially in a year with one European and three state elections.
How long the oath of the SPD, FDP and Greens will last is a question that is no longer dismissed as nonsense in Berlin. As the economy slides and the political fringes strengthen, the coalition members continue to bicker, more fundamentally than ever. The central controversial issues that Scholz believed had been largely resolved a month ago are emerging again. The budget, the debt brake, the question of arms deliveries.
Mützenich’s role may be a blessing for Scholz, but it is a risk for the SPD. The faction leader forges compromises and organizes majorities for the head of government. But the more difficult the situation, the more Mützenich has to govern the faction with toughness and pressure. Andrea Nahles also tried this once – and failed brutally. So how long will it last this time?