As the upcoming federal government is set to take office, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) emphasizes the need for pragmatism and focus on central issues. “The next government needs pragmatism, must focus on central themes: security, infrastructure, education, digitalization and artificial intelligence” Pistorius told the Tagesspiegel. He demands “more concentration on the issues that affect 95 percent of the people.” The guiding principle should be: “Who wants to do something for minorities must first win over the majority.” Democratic parties must now “demonstrate their ability to act and make compromises.”
Pistorius hopes to continue his work as Defense Minister after the federal election on February 23. “We have put a lot on the way in the Defense Ministry, implemented the time of change, but are not yet finished” he said. “And I don’t want to move on as long as the work is not done.” The personnel issues, however, will only be clarified “after the election and the coalition negotiations”: “That is the sequence.” Pistorius has been Defense Minister since 2023.
Looking at the formation of a grand coalition under the leadership of Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Pistorius appeared skeptical. Merz’s “betrayal of trust” weighs heavily, Pistorius said: “The idea of a coalition with his involvement or even under his leadership will not become easier.” Merz had broken a taboo in the Bundestag this week, Pistorius said, by building a majority with the Alternative for Germany (AfD). In November 2024, Merz had promised the opposite with strong words. “With his behavior this week, he has destroyed trust and lost credibility. It pains me that the historically accomplished CDU has now enabled the AfD to achieve this success. The smirking faces of Weidel and Co. say it all” Pistorius said. This is “a shame for the Union and a damage to the entire democracy.”
It requires a “clear confession from the entire Union that such a grave mistake will never be repeated again” Pistorius said in reference to the joint voting of the Union and AfD in the Bundestag this week. However, fundamentally, it is true: “Democratic parties must be able to govern together. We need a stable government.