Future of the federal government: Wissing takes over Ministry of Justice, Özdemir Ministry of Education

After the FDP leaves the federal government, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing will also take over this Ministry of Justice. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier presented Wissing with the certificate of appointment at Bellevue Palace. Steinmeier appointed the previous Chancellor advisor Jörg Kukies as the new Federal Finance Minister. A few hours later, Kukies took the oath of office in the Bundestag.

The Federal Ministry of Education will become Minister of Agriculture after Bettina Stark-Watzinger leaves Cem Özdemir additionally take over. The Green politician said that Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck had asked him to do this in coordination with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). “I want to take responsibility for our country in this difficult situation,” said Özdemir. This means that all tasks in the cabinet of the new minority government have been distributed again.

FDP ministers receive dismissal certificates

Steinmeier had previously dismissed the previous Federal Finance Minister, Christian Lindner, as well as the previous Federal Ministers for Education and Justice, Bettina Stark-Watzinger and Marco Buschmann, from their positions. The FDP is therefore officially not part of the Federal Government more. Wissing announced that morning that he was leaving the FDP and remaining in the cabinet. Steinmeier thanked the previous FDP ministers for their political work. Scholz was also present at the ceremony in Bellevue Palace.

The Chancellor fired Lindner on Wednesday evening after an escalation in the coalition committee. Buschmann and Stark-Watzinger then submitted requests for resignation. Scholz and Lindner attacked each other in speeches after the break. Scholz said that “serious government work” was no longer possible with Lindner. Lindner accused Scholz of deliberately causing the coalition break and orchestrating his dismissal.

“Irreconcilable differences”

Steinmeier praised Lindner for his concern to keep the national debt under control. Lindner has made great efforts to present a budget that complies with European debt rules. “In a time of serious crises, not least as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which is a profound turning point, this goal was apparently increasingly controversial within the federal government.” Ultimately, the challenge of maintaining the debt brake in this situation led to “irreconcilable differences in the federal government”. Steinmeier said that Buschmann had taken important initiatives during his time in office. He praised Stark-Watzinger for her student loan reform.

The Federal President had already commented in the morning on the break of the traffic light coalition and his constitutional role on the way to new elections. According to the Basic Law, the Federal President must decide on the dissolution of the Bundestag if the latter withdraws confidence in the Chancellor, said Steinmeier. “I stand by this decision.” The Basic Law ties the dissolution of the Bundestag to certain conditions. But the country needs a government that can act. “That will be my standard of review,” said Steinmeier. Steinmeier called on political leaders to refrain from “tactics and skirmishes” in view of the political uncertainty in Germany and the world. “The end of a coalition is not the end of the world,” said the Federal President. But now is the “time for reason and responsibility”.

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