Germany’s coalition government has suffered a fresh setback following the resignation of Labour Minister Baerbel Bas, who criticised what she described as intensifying public attacks from members of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative party.
Bas, who also serves as co-leader of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), announced her decision to step down, citing personal reasons, including the death of her daughter-in-law.
However, she also expressed frustration over criticism from members of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the SPD’s junior coalition partner in government.
“I must unfortunately note that the public attacks against me — regrettably including those from within the ranks of our coalition partner — have continued to intensify during this difficult time for me personally,” Bas said.
Her resignation comes as Merz’s government faces mounting political and economic challenges, including sluggish economic growth, low opinion poll ratings and growing competition from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The AfD has recently overtaken the CDU in two state polls, including in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where Merz’s party recorded its worst-ever result in the region.
Tensions within the governing coalition have also centred on proposed changes to working-time regulations and pension reform, with CDU politicians accusing Bas of delaying the planned measures.
“You can only expect criticism in that case,” Gordon Schnieder, the CDU leader in Rhineland-Palatinate, told Welt TV following Bas’s resignation announcement.
Her departure could further complicate pension reform, a major priority for the coalition government as Germany confronts the economic consequences of an ageing population.
Bas’s ministry had been preparing a draft bill following recommendations by a government commission that people should work longer to help ease the pressure on the country’s economy and pension system.
Bas is stepping down as both labour minister and SPD co-leader but intends to retain her parliamentary seat representing Duisburg, an industrial city in Germany’s Ruhr region.
Party sources told AFP that Alexander Schweitzer, one of the SPD’s vice chairs, would replace her as labour minister.
Merz said he respected Bas’s decision and thanked her for her service, while expressing sympathy over her family’s loss.
“As a father and a grandfather, I can only imagine how heavily this loss weighs. I wish her and her family a lot of strength,” the chancellor wrote on X.
