According to Reuters, Bernd Baas, the joint chairman of the German Social Democratic Party and Minister for Labour, announced his resignation for personal reasons. This move further exacerbated the tensions within the coalition government led by Chancellor Merkel.
Bass said in her statement: 'After my daughter's death, I realized that I needed time to process my grief.' She did not provide any further details.
But she criticized the conservative party to which Merz belongs—the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The party has suffered severe defeats in several elections recently and is currently in crisis. Of particular note is the victory of the far-right German Choice Party (AfD) in the elections in Saxony-Anhalt last month.
Babel Bas - CCTV News
Bass said, “It is regrettable that I have to point out that, during a difficult time for me personally, the public attacks against me not only did not stop, but actually intensified. It is unfortunate that these attacks even included those from within the ruling coalition partners.”
Under the leadership of Director Busch, the Ministry of Labor is responsible for managing a significant portion of Germany’s social welfare system. Previously, Busch was criticized by members of the conservative faction for the slow progress of pension reform.
The other co-chair of the Social Democratic Party, German Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeier said, ‘During these days when she is mourning her relatives, it is inappropriate to carry out attacks against her. This is unacceptable.’ As a result, Klingbeier canceled his planned trip to India.
Mertz's conservative faction is seeking to loosen labor market regulations in order to create a more favorable business environment for economic recovery. The Democratic Progressive Party, however, emphasizes upholding worker rights and benefits.
It is worth mentioning that Mertz publicly stated last year that Germany's current welfare state system is financially unsustainable. At that time, Baß reacted strongly to this statement, calling it "bullshit", and further explained that "I must refute this claim, because we are a wealthy country. It is wrong to say that we must cut social security. We should work together to promote economic growth; that is the right path."
Bos’s resignation has further increased the pressure on the ruling coalition. The coalition’s popularity rating has fallen behind that of the far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD). In the local elections last month, both far-right and far-left forces significantly expanded their influence, putting the ruling coalition under strain.
On October 6th, the parliament of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt elected Tobias Lausch from the Alternative for Germany party as the speaker of the state parliament. This was the first time a member of the Alternative for Germany party served as the speaker of a German federal state parliament.
German State Secretary of Saxony-Anhalt, Tobias Rauš, I.C. Photo
The magazine “Zeit Online” states that the party is gradually moving towards the political center of Germany, especially in Saarland. Few people can avoid the party in political activities. This party is not only a symbol of dissatisfaction among German voters with the government, but it has even become a “hope” in the eyes of many voters. The desire of some politicians to break political “taboos” is stronger than ever.
According to analysis by National Public Radio (NPR), in order to maintain their governing position, Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Party and the center-left Social Democratic Party formed a coalition government. The boundaries between these two once-opposing ‘big tent’ political parties have gradually become blurred. As a result, more and more German voters believe that these centrist parties can no longer represent the people.
Next year, Germany will also hold five local elections, and Merz's support will be further tested.
