In a recent interview with the Spiegel, German Economy Minister and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) sharply criticized the leadership of former Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP). According to Habeck, it was “the cardinal error to give Christian Lindner the finance ministry” in the first place.
Habeck emphasized that the Finance Minister must be a honest broker for all, giving the impression that everyone is being treated fairly and with integrity. However, he also stated that if a Finance Minister tries to lead their ministry in a way that primarily benefits their own party, then mistrust is inevitable.
Lindner, in Habeck’s opinion, attempted to make policy for his own party at the expense of the other cabinet members. “The screw was set at a slant from the very beginning” Habeck said, referring to the collapse of the coalition government. He believes that the failure of the coalition has a particular tragedy, as it may be difficult to form cross-party alliances in Germany in the future.
Habeck attributed the breakdown of agreements to a lack of commitment from the start, describing it as a form of “lived government incompetence.”
If the FDP fails to clear the 5% threshold in the upcoming election, Habeck believes the party is to blame, calling it a “hard-earned failure.