Berbel Bas left her posts as labor minister and SPD co-chair after the death of her stepdaughter

Bas announced her departure on Facebook, The Guardian reports. She gave no further details about her stepdaughter’s death.

In the same statement, Bas said public attacks on her had intensified, including from members of the CDU, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition partner. According to her, the attacks continued even as she was going through a family tragedy.

Some CDU lawmakers criticized her absence during the crucial period of preparing an economic reform that is seen as key to the survival of the fragile government. At the same time, there had already been a death in her immediate family, which was widely known.

SPD co-chair Lars Klingbeil, who also serves as vice chancellor and finance minister, called the attacks on Bas during mourning indecent and expressed regret over her departure. He canceled a planned trip to India to deal with the fallout from the resignation and complained about the deterioration of political discourse in the country.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz thanked Bas for her “cooperation based on trust” and expressed his condolences. Later he wrote on X that as a father and grandfather, he can only imagine how difficult this loss has been for her.

AfD co-chair Alice Weidel also expressed condolences, but said Bas’s sharp words toward the CDU showed that Merz’s coalition government had “come to an end”. Bas will remain a Bundestag member for Duisburg; she previously led the lower house of parliament, and her ministry is responsible for much of Germany’s social welfare system.

Sources

• Material: theguardian.com