Germany’s Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht resigned on Monday following the controversy sparked in the country by a New Year’s Eve greeting video in which she talked about the war in Ukraine with fireworks and firecrackers in the background.
Lambrecht handed in his letter of resignation to the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, as rumors grew about his possible departure from the government after several members of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) demanded his dismissal.
In this regard, she said that the idea that «the media have been focusing on her personally for months has not allowed a proper public debate on the true role of the Armed Forces to go ahead». «For this reason, I have decided to leave my post free,» he pointed out.
Lambrecht’s resignation was accepted shortly after by Scholz, who advocated «quickly resolving» his succession. The deputy government spokeswoman, Christiane Hoffmann, confirmed this information and said that «the chancellor respects the decision of the minister, whom he thanks for the good work she has done in difficult and challenging times».
«Out of respect for the minister, the decision on who will be her successor will certainly not be known today,» she said before adding that «in no case will it take more than three months to announce a replacement.»
A poll by public broadcaster ZDF showed that at least 60 percent of Germans supported his resignation. Half of those polled who said they supported his party, the Social Democratic Party, also supported his departure.
Several German media reported on Friday that Lambrecht was already considering resigning to settle the scandal. This is not the first controversy in which the German defense minister has been involved, as she was also criticized in the past for taking her son on a military helicopter.
The Defense Ministry has also recently been in the spotlight after the chairwoman of the German Parliament’s defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, pressured Scholz to deliver more battle tanks to Ukraine.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
