Germany's coalition clashes over pension policy and leadership style
Jens Spahn, leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, has dismissed criticism leveled at Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) by SPD parliamentary leader Matthias Miersch.
"Such remarks do not do justice to the chancellor's work during these challenging times," Spahn told Bild in its Friday edition. He added that cooperation within the coalition would not improve if everyone talked about each other instead of with each other. "There's plenty of real work to be done—we should focus on that together."
Miersch had sharply criticized Merz over his statements describing the statutory pension as a "basic safety net" and his call for "respect for higher earners," accusing the chancellor of excessive impulsiveness. "You can't actually run a chancellery like that," Miersch said.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
