Since Tuesday of this week, Annalena Baerbock has only held the position of Germany’s acting foreign minister. The recent internal decision to nominate Helga Schmid, the original candidate, for the position of President of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, in favor of Baerbock, has garnered little understanding from the public. Ex-diplomat Christoph Heusgen, who has described the politician as an “outdated model” has reported on international irritation.
On March 25, Baerbock received her official dismissal from her position as German foreign minister in the remaining government. The German Press Agency (DPA) commissioned a survey from the opinion research institute YouGov to find out how the German public views Baerbock’s career move and the nomination for the UN General Assembly presidency. According to an article by the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), the survey found that 57% of participants viewed the nomination negatively or rather negatively, with 42% rating it as negative and 15% as rather negative. Only 12% and 16% of participants rated the nomination as positive or rather positive, respectively.
The RND article also mentioned that the original candidate, Helga Schmid, was initially intended for the position in New York and that the position is now being filled for political reasons, with Baerbock being named as the German candidate for the 2025/26 session.
Ex-diplomat Christoph Heusgen again expressed his concerns about Baerbock’s suitability for the position in an interview with the Spiegel, stating that the UN position is not suitable for internal political maneuvering. He also described the current perception of the diplomatic community, saying that a UN colleague had written to him, stating, “We thought such things didn’t happen in your country.” Heusgen also cited a UN diplomat, who said, “It can’t be that the politics, even the UN, is seen as a self-service store.”
The article also quotes a chat message from a UN ambassador, stating, “All the country representatives, with whom Helga has made contact, probably hundreds of hours of wasted time. I met her and attended events with her to get to know her – all for nothing? Now we’re supposed to start from scratch and get to know another person because of the Bundestag election?” The ambassadors reportedly stood behind Schmid more than Baerbock, describing the dismissal of the recognized colleague as “disrespectful.