Rhineland-Palatinate Minister President Gordon Schnieder (CDU) has criticized Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) regarding the government’s recent restructuring. Speaking to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung” (FAS), Schnieder stated, “Every turmoil breaks trust. We had just demonstrated what the Federal Government is capable of with the reforms. And then this is simply erased by a poorly managed government restructuring.”
Schnieder also pointed to the way his brother, Patrick Schnieder (CDU) and the Federal Minister of Transport, was dismissed. After Merz informed the Federal Minister of his removal, his successor told him the following night. Patrick Schnieder then informed his colleagues about his dismissal the next morning, which eventually went public. Schnieder suggested that if the Chancellor had given him a clear indication, “such a situation would not have arisen, which made the whole matter unsightly.” Nonetheless, the Minister President said he was “proud” that his brother ended the “political mess” and stepped down.
Schnieder defended the sharp criticism issued by his parliamentary faction in Mainz against Merz. He explained their message: “Loyalty is not a one-way street.” He told the FAS that his party and faction had consistently supported the Chancellor during difficult months, but the faction eventually reached the point where it felt, “this is not how people should treat each other.”
From Schnieder’s perspective, some of the dissatisfaction he attributes to the success of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt can also be traced back to the Federal Government. While he offers his support to AfD members in his capacity as Minister President, he declines to do so as a politician or private citizen. On that matter, he says, “I say ‘Good day’-that is the minimum standard of decency I extend to everyone.”
