Germany’s Green Star brought down to earth by cronyism and boilerplate

Cronyism, boiler bans, botched gas levies – after a whirlwind rise through the ranks of German politics, Robert Habeck is now in one of its steepest declines.

The green economy minister and vice-chancellor faced the darkest day of his 17-month tenure on Wednesday when he was forced to sack a close aide over a widening nepotism scandal.

Already on the ropes over an unpopular law to ban new oil and gas heating systems from 2024 came the firing of Patrik Gretchen, secretary of state at the economy ministry. Consumer groups have criticized the deadline as too tight compared to countries such as the UK and the Netherlands and worry about the financial burden it will place on home owners.

“Herr Habeck is a man of beautiful words, but people are starting to understand,” said Julia Klockner, economy spokeswoman for the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU). “At the end of the day he is also a minister who has to show leadership.”

The Gretchen affair with Baylor legislation has taken the sheen off a Green politician who was long seen as a potential chancellor. In a matter of months, he has gone from being Germany’s most popular minister to its most troubled. A survey released this month by Deutschlandtrend says only 30 percent of voters are satisfied with the job they are doing.

Manfred Gulner, head of pollster Forsa, said he doubted Habek could recover from his latest setback. “When you fall so far in the polls, and you’re still trending downward, it’s very difficult to get up again,” he said.

Meanwhile, evidence is mounting that Habaek’s troubles are hurting his party as well. In the weekend elections in the city-state of Bremen, the Greens reduced their share of the vote to 12 percent – the lowest level since 1999.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz said that the poor performance of the Greens in Bremen was due to the “Habeck effect”. “I can only advise the Coalition not to implement climate policy with a crown,” he said. “Not working.”

National polling figures are also not looking good for the Greens. A Forsa poll on Wednesday put the party at 15 percent – one point behind the far-right Alternative for Germany.

Senior Greens are shocked. “Habeck has said that you cannot do politics based on approval ratings, and I agree with him,” said Konstantin von Notz, a prominent Green MP. “He knows that when you’re trying to fight the climate crisis by changing the heating system, you sometimes have to do things that won’t win people over at once.”

Habaek’s decline in popularity is in stark contrast to the acclaim he enjoyed for many years. When she and Annalena Bierbock were elected co-leaders of the Green Party in 2018, the former children’s book author was widely praised for her modern style of leadership, oratorical skills and ideological pragmatism – a trait typically associated with the Greens. was not associated with

The two led their party to its best ever national result in 2021 when they won a 14.8 percent lead in the Bundestag election. Soon after, he and Bierbock led the Greens in a unique three-way coalition with Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats and liberals.

Within months of coming to power, Hebek had to deal with an energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent suspension of gas supplies to Europe. Habeck and Gretchen are widely credited with ensuring that Germany has no gas shortages, avoids blackouts, and averts an economic crisis.

But there were many slips in the way. Habček was lambasted for his plan to impose a gas levy on all fuel consumers, a measure designed to help gas importers such as Uniper that had been devastated by Moscow’s gas shutdown. After making noise, he pulled the plug.

Uwe Joon, a political scientist at the University of Trier, said Gas Levy raised doubts about Habach’s economic competence, while the Gretchen case “has raised questions about his leadership qualities”.

Gretchen came under attack last month over her role in the selection process for the new head of the German energy agency Dena, one of the architects of Germany’s planned transition to a carbon neutral economy. He failed to disclose that Michael Schaefer, who was selected for the job in March, was a close friend and best man at his wedding.

Habeck publicly defended Gretchen, saying that she had accepted her mistake. But worse was to come: On Wednesday the minister revealed that Gretchen had approved an application for funding from the Berlin environmental organization where her sister worked. Habeck said that “one mistake was too many”.

The case has reflected badly on the Greens, Klockner said. “They are shocked that they are now treated as a normal party like any other,” she said. “They are not saints.”

But von Notz dismisses the idea that Habeck was damaged by Gretchen’s affair. “If you look at how other parties have dealt with issues like this in the past – they barely get any results,” he said.

The Gretchen scandal may soon be forgotten, but Habeck’s boiler law is not, a measure that has alarmed large sections of the population and turned the minister into a figure hated by some householders.

Jun said, “Many people were surprised that Habaek, the great communicator, was unable to explain exactly what he was trying to convey.” ,

Cronyism, boiler bans, botched gas levies – after a whirlwind rise through the ranks of German politics, Robert Habeck is now in one of its steepest declines.

The green economy minister and vice-chancellor faced the darkest day of his 17-month tenure on Wednesday when he was forced to sack a close aide over a widening nepotism scandal.

Already on the ropes over an unpopular law to ban new oil and gas heating systems from 2024 came the firing of Patrik Gretchen, secretary of state at the economy ministry. Consumer groups have criticized the deadline as too tight compared to countries such as the UK and the Netherlands and worry about the financial burden it will place on home owners.

“Herr Habeck is a man of beautiful words, but people are starting to understand,” said Julia Klockner, economy spokeswoman for the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU). “At the end of the day he is also a minister who has to show leadership.”

The Gretchen affair with Baylor legislation has taken the sheen off a Green politician who was long seen as a potential chancellor. In a matter of months, he has gone from being Germany’s most popular minister to its most troubled. A survey released this month by Deutschlandtrend says only 30 percent of voters are satisfied with the job they are doing.

Manfred Gulner, head of pollster Forsa, said he doubted Habek could recover from his latest setback. “When you fall so far in the polls, and you’re still trending downward, it’s very difficult to get up again,” he said.

Meanwhile, evidence is mounting that Habaek’s troubles are hurting his party as well. In the weekend elections in the city-state of Bremen, the Greens reduced their share of the vote to 12 percent – the lowest level since 1999.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz said that the poor performance of the Greens in Bremen was due to the “Habeck effect”. “I can only advise the Coalition not to implement climate policy with a crown,” he said. “Not working.”

National polling figures are also not looking good for the Greens. A Forsa poll on Wednesday put the party at 15 percent – one point behind the far-right Alternative for Germany.

Senior Greens are shocked. “Habeck has said that you cannot do politics based on approval ratings, and I agree with him,” said Konstantin von Notz, a prominent Green MP. “He knows that when you’re trying to fight the climate crisis by changing the heating system, you sometimes have to do things that won’t win people over at once.”

Habaek’s decline in popularity is in stark contrast to the acclaim he enjoyed for many years. When she and Annalena Bierbock were elected co-leaders of the Green Party in 2018, the former children’s book author was widely praised for her modern style of leadership, oratorical skills and ideological pragmatism – a trait typically associated with the Greens. was not associated with

The two led their party to its best ever national result in 2021 when they won a 14.8 percent lead in the Bundestag election. Soon after, he and Bierbock led the Greens in a unique three-way coalition with Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats and liberals.

Within months of coming to power, Hebek had to deal with an energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent suspension of gas supplies to Europe. Habeck and Gretchen are widely credited with ensuring that Germany has no gas shortages, avoids blackouts, and averts an economic crisis.

But there were many slips in the way. Habček was lambasted for his plan to impose a gas levy on all fuel consumers, a measure designed to help gas importers such as Uniper that had been devastated by Moscow’s gas shutdown. After making noise, he pulled the plug.

Uwe Joon, a political scientist at the University of Trier, said Gas Levy raised doubts about Habach’s economic competence, while the Gretchen case “has raised questions about his leadership qualities”.

Gretchen came under attack last month over her role in the selection process for the new head of the German energy agency Dena, one of the architects of Germany’s planned transition to a carbon neutral economy. He failed to disclose that Michael Schaefer, who was selected for the job in March, was a close friend and best man at his wedding.

Habeck publicly defended Gretchen, saying that she had accepted her mistake. But worse was to come: On Wednesday the minister revealed that Gretchen had approved an application for funding from the Berlin environmental organization where her sister worked. Habeck said that “one mistake was too many”.

The case has reflected badly on the Greens, Klockner said. “They are shocked that they are now treated as a normal party like any other,” she said. “They are not saints.”

But von Notz dismisses the idea that Habeck was damaged by Gretchen’s affair. “If you look at how other parties have dealt with issues like this in the past – they barely get any results,” he said.

The Gretchen scandal may soon be forgotten, but Habeck’s boiler law is not, a measure that has alarmed large sections of the population and turned the minister into a figure hated by some householders.

Jun said, “Many people were surprised that Habaek, the great communicator, was unable to explain exactly what he was trying to convey.” ,