Its mission is to conduct “the change of time” caused by the war in Ukraine.
mo12345lemonde with AFP
The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, confirmed Tuesday, January 17, the appointment of the social democrat Boris Pistorius at the head of the Ministry of Defense, presenting him as “the right person” to lead “the change of time” caused by the war in Ukraine.
This 62-year-old social democrat, almost unknown at the national level, will replace Christine Lambrecht, who resigned Monday following a series of Bourdes.
Boris Pistorius, Minister of the Interior of the region of Basse-Saxe, is “a highly experienced politician, who has taken care for years of security policy (…)”, recalled Mr. Scholz in a written statement.
Surprise appointment
The reshuffle occurs while Germany undergoes the pressure from several Allied countries, first of all Poland, to deliver carers of German manufacturing leopard in order to help kyiv repel the Russian invasion. A crucial meeting of Western Defense Ministers, around the United States, will be held in Germany on Friday.
The return of this portfolio to a minister, after three women in this position since 2013, calls into question Mr. Scholz’s promise to maintain parity in the government he has run since December 2021.
The appointment of Mr. Pistorius is a surprise, because he did not belong to the circle of potential candidates cited by the press. Like his predecessor, he is a lawyer by training and from the Chancellor’s political party.
As Minister of the Interior of the region of Basse-Saxe, in northern Germany, he specializes in issues of cybersecurity, internal security and migration policy. He was also mayor of Osnabrück between 2006 and 2013.