The CDU leadership has rejected allegations by the resigned Federal Labor Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) of public attacks against her during a personally difficult time. "I can say for myself that I only ever discussed issues with her on factual issues, never personally," said Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz in Berlin.
In addition, in the past few weeks, which had been particularly difficult for Bas, he had also "demanded every personal, including Christian, consideration" from his party, he said. He could not determine that this had been violated.
The previous SPD co-chair and Labor Minister Bas announced that morning that she was withdrawing from the top positions for personal reasons. In a message, Bas wrote that after her stepdaughter's death, she needed time to process her grief. She also criticized the fact that public attacks on her, "unfortunately also from the ranks of the coalition partner," were "continued to be amplified" during this difficult time for her personally.
Merz, who appeared before the press after his party's presidium meeting at midday, said he last had contact with Bas almost three weeks ago. He expressly encouraged her to take the time she needed, said Merz. He could imagine what difficult times Bas was going through.
CDU General Secretary Franziska Hoppermann specifically rejected the choice of words used by Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's acting Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD), who wrote in Network
Overall, the CDU leadership is surprised by the allegations - although in the past there have always been harsh voices from the Union faction that described Bas as unqualified. The chairman of the influential middle class parliamentary group (PKM) in the Union faction, Christian von Stetten, sharply attacked Bas a month ago and denied her suitability for her office. “The minister is no longer acceptable,” said the CDU MP to Bild. "For months she has been blocking the reforms that our country so urgently needs." It is not known who in the CDU knew about the stepdaughter's illness at this time.
Bas had repeatedly been criticized by the Union and business associations because, in the critics' view, draft laws from her ministry on reforms to pensions, the labor market and basic security were too slow or not available at all. There was talk of “wrong casting” and “unacceptable statements”. She once jokingly described herself as a “blocker” at an SPD conference.
The Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Gordon Schnieder (CDU), now rejects the criticism of the treatment of Bas. “You have to endure that,” he told the news channel Welt TV. "If you don't keep agreements, if you don't put corresponding drafts on the table, if you don't go to the cabinet with them, then at some point you have to ask yourself why that's not the case."
Lars Klingbeil (SPD) sees the attacks on Bärbel Bas in the past few days as a poisoning of the political discourse. “A politician who is exposed to political attacks in times of personal suffering and grief: That is indecent,” said the SPD leader. Klingbeil explained in Berlin that more and more hatred and agitation had entered the political debate and that women in senior leadership positions in particular were severely affected by this. That is not acceptable.
Bremen's Prime Minister Andreas Bovenschulte was also dismayed and angry. "She has been systematically attacked for a long time. This is shabby and indecent," said the SPD politician. The Bremen head of government criticized that even exceptional personal situations were not taken into account. "This is an expression of a brutalization of political culture that particularly affects women."
Green Party leader Franziska Brantner sees Bas's resignation as a wake-up call "not to neglect humanity in politics." The political business has become so tough "that you can hardly survive it as a human being," said Brantner. "And that's not good news. We don't want robots as politicians, we want people who, if in doubt, are allowed to mourn."
