German labour minister and SPD co-leader Baerbel Bas resigned from both posts on Monday, citing the death of her stepdaughter and political attacks against her while grieving. In a Facebook statement she explicitly blamed public broadsides “unfortunately also from among the ranks of the coalition partner,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU, whose lawmakers had criticised her absences during a crunch economic reform phase despite knowing of the family death.
SPD co-leader Lars Klingbeil, the vice-chancellor and finance minister, called the attacks “indecent,” cancelled a planned India trip to handle the fallout and criticised the degrading political discourse. Merz, whose government is fragile after three disastrous state elections, offered condolences, while AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said the episode showed the coalition “is at its end” and called for a fresh start; the AfD leads national polls at about 30% with the next general election due in 2029.