Former Federal Minister of the Chancellery, Peter Altmaier (CDU), has criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), stating that the latter holds primary responsibility for what he views as the government’s “craftsmanship deficiencies”. Speaking to the broadcaster Welt on Tuesday, Altmaier asserted that the Chancellor is ultimately responsible for organizing his professional environment to ensure that governance achieves sensible results.
Altmaier recalled the CDU party slogan, “It depends on the Chancellor” suggesting it provides an accurate description of Germany’s current constitutional reality.
He pointed out that while the government had started its mandate with considerable optimism, following the coalition’s inability to deliver for two years, many citizens are now deeply disappointed. Altmaier noted that the public has expressed a lack of “clarity regarding major directional decisions in fiscal and social policy, or in the nation’s overall competitiveness”.
The former Federal Minister of Economics called the existing results concerning economic growth and job numbers “disappointing” and stressed that a change is urgently needed. To achieve this change, he stated, the government requires “good craftsmanship”. For him, good craftsmanship means reducing public statements and instead preparing compromises internally in such a way that they demonstrably advance the country.
Furthermore, Altmaier voiced concern over the stability of German democracy. He observed that the governing coalition (“Ampel”) is already struggling, and if the Grand Coalition were to fail as well, he expressed doubt about how stable and reliable majorities could be formed in the short term. He articulated a desire for the federal government, and all those within it, to succeed for the benefit of the nation and of democracy itself.
Altmaier drew a parallel to history, suggesting that the failure of the Weimar Republic was attributable to an issue of only a few percent increase-or lack thereof-in unemployment insurance. He stated that while there is no lurking Hitler in Germany, a prolonged period of governmental incapacity would be “toxic to the German location”. He concluded by warning that suffering from a full-blown state crisis would be the last thing Germany needed.
