Germany's coalition rocked by labour minister's abrupt resignation

The German government has experienced a setback with the unexpected resignation of Baerbel Bas, a key minister from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and co-leader of the center-left coalition. Bas announced her decision on Monday, citing personal reasons for her departure. She revealed that she requires time to grieve following the loss of her daughter-in-law.

However, Bas also criticized the government's leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, accusing his conservative CDU party of launching escalating public attacks against her during an already challenging period.

Bas, the Labour Minister, and co-leader of the SPD, plans to retain her parliamentary seat for Duisburg, a city located in the former Ruhr mining region in northern Germany. The decision to resign comes amidst political turmoil for the government, which is facing sluggish economic growth and low poll ratings. Furthermore, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has recently outperformed the CDU in two state polls, with one of those being in Merz's home region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania where the CDU's performance reached its lowest ever result.

In response to the resignation, the CDU leader of Rhineland-Palatinate state, Gordon Schnieder, accused Bas of obstructing planned changes to working time regulations and pension reform. Schnieder stated that Bas' departure would only invite more criticism. The CDU-led coalition's main priority currently is the pension reform, for which Bas is preparing a draft bill after a government commission recommended that people work longer to cope with an aging population.

Bas will relinquish her positions as both a minister and co-leader of the SPD. She will be succeeded as Labour Minister by Alexander Schweitzer, one of the SPD's vice chairs. The SPD sources have informed AFP of her intentions to retain her seat in the Bundestag. Chancellor Merz expressed his respect for Bas' decision, adding that as a father and a grandfather, he can only imagine the weight of the loss. Merz wished her and her family strength.