Resignation earthquake in Germany: He left the ministry and party leadership

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs in Germany, Baerbel Bas, decided to resign from both his ministerial post and the co-chairmanship of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).

In his written statement on Monday, Bas announced that he would resign from his duties due to the mourning process he experienced after the death of his stepdaughter.

In his statement regarding his decision, Bas said, "After the death of my stepdaughter, I realized that I needed time to cope with the pain I experienced."

Bas, who is responsible for a significant part of Germany's social security system, stated that political criticism against him was also effective in his decision to resign.

Drawing attention to the increasingly intense public criticism lately, Bas stated that some of these statements came from the SPD's conservative coalition partners.

REACTION FROM VICE MINISTER KLINGBEIL

German Deputy Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, who is also the other co-chairman of the SPD, also reacted to the criticism against Bas.

In his written statement, Klingbeil said, "The attacks against him during the days he was mourning were inappropriate. This is unacceptable."

Following Bas's decision to leave, it is not yet clear who the new names will be for both the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the SPD co-chairmanship.

Bas stated that he will continue to be a member of the Federal Assembly despite leaving his duties in the ministry and party management.