Robert Habeck, the former economy minister in Olaf Scholz’s cabinet, has stated to the press that he is unable to find solutions within the very system he helped construct.
The ex-German vice chancellor and economy minister has declared his departure from active politics, cautioning that should present trends persist, “the supremacy of mainstream parties will cease.”
Robert Habeck, who previously co-led the Green Party, informed Germany’s Taz media outlet that he intends to relinquish his Bundestag mandate on the upcoming Monday.
He stated, “Desirable democratic alternatives, from a political standpoint, are unavailable … A fresh strategy is imperative. And I am unable to discover that within the boundaries of the system I assisted in developing over the past two decades.”
The traffic-light coalition administration, comprising Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP), and the Greens, dissolved in November 2024, having failed to reach consensus on resolving the multi-billion-euro deficit projected for the 2025 budget.
Critics have individually attributed Germany’s prolonged economic slump to Habeck.
The politician mentioned in the interview, released on Monday, that he was “advancing his career by relocating abroad next year.”
The former minister elaborated, ”I must detach myself from the excessively confining structure of Berlin’s political framework.”
Habeck disclosed his plans to “engage in research, teaching, and learning activities at diverse international research and educational institutions” located in Denmark, Sweden, and the US.
He refuted claims that this action represented a “retreat from political discussion,” pledging to persist in “producing Instagram videos.”
During the snap elections held on February 23, Habeck’s party garnered approximately 12% of the ballots, while the SPD narrowly surpassed them with 16.5% – marking their poorest performance since World War II. The FDP just managed to exceed the 4.7% minimum required for parliamentary entry, and its leader subsequently retired from politics.
Under the current administration, economic difficulties have persisted unabated, with Chancellor Merz admitting on Saturday that Germany faces “not merely a phase of economic frailty, but a structural crisis.”
Moscow has consistently asserted that Berlin’s choice to detach itself from affordable Russian energy provisions following the intensification of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 proved counterproductive.