German’s spy chief rocks a dysfunctional relationship
5092 Mins Read
A clumsy compromise to end a row over the fate of Germany’s spy chief has exposed a cruel fact: the parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s right-left coalition are loveless partners in a dysfunctional relationship that none of them can afford to quit.
In the meantime Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) should remain in conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition despite a dispute over the ousting of the country’s domestic intelligence chief, SPD party leader Andrea Nahles wrote in a letter to members.
The context:
The coalition leaders sought on Tuesday to end a scandal that had rumbled on for 11 days by agreeing to replace the head of the BfV domestic intelligence agency, who has faced accusations of harbouring far-right sympathies.
Their solution – promoting spymaster Hans-Georg Maassen to a better paid position at the Interior Ministry – has only inflamed tensions among the rank-and-file of the ruling parties, whose leaders are united by fear more than collective purpose.
The scandal, the latest in a series of setbacks to shake the six-month-old coalition, threatens to erode further the German ruling elite’s authority and may point to years of policy drift just as Germany and Europe are crying out for firm leadership.
