On May 13, 2021, Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s recently appointed defense minister, resigned amid allegations of financial impropriety. Von der Leyen was the first woman to have ever been appointed to the post of defense minister, and her resignation is being widely seen as a major setback to the country’s progress towards greater gender balance in its Cabinet.
Background of the Embattled Defense Minister
Ursula von der Leyen was born in Brussels in 1958. A trained lawyer, she held multiple posts in the German civil service before entering politics in 2004. In 2005, she became Minister for Family Affairs in the federal government; she later went on to serve in the Cabinets of Angela Merkel as Minister for Labour and Social Affairs as well as Minister for Defense.
In 2019, she was nominated as the sole candidate to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as the President of the European Commission. Her nomination was controversial due to her lack of experience in European politics, and she was eventually elected by a narrow margin.
Von der Leyen’s Controversial Resignation
On May 13, 2021, von der Leyen announced her shock resignation from her post as Defense Minister in the face of a mounting scandal regarding financial irregularities during her time in office. An investigation revealed that she had illegally used public funds to finance her travel expenses while serving as defense minister, as well as to pay for expensive redecorations to her office.
Von der Leyen has strongly denied any wrongdoing, and has called the allegations “unfounded” and “baseless”. Nevertheless, she has chosen to step down in order to spare the German government further embarrassment.
Impact of the Resignation
Von der Leyen’s resignation is a significant setback to Germany’s progress towards greater gender balance in its Cabinet. She was the first woman ever to serve as defense minister, and her departure leaves only two women among the 10 members of the Cabinet.
This comes at a time when the German government has been under increasing pressure to address gender inequality in the country’s politics. There are currently more men than women serving in legislative offices across the country, and the ruling coalition has already been criticized for its lack of progress in addressing this issue.
The resignation is also a major blow to chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, which had recently been gaining a strong footing and political stability after several months of uncertainty. Merkel had personally defended von der Leyen from the allegations, and her government will now be forced to work on damage control in the wake of the minister’s resignation.
The future of the Position
The controversy has left the question of who will take over the position of defense minister uncertain. Many political experts are speculating that Merkel’s conservative coalition partner, Horst Seehofer of the CSU, will take up the post, although this remains to be seen.
It is also unclear how this controversy will affect von der Leyen’s tenure as President of the European Union. Although she has denied all wrongdoing, it is likely that the scandal will cause considerable damage to her reputation.
Ursula von der Leyen’s sudden and unexpected resignation as Germany’s defense minister marks a major setback for the country’s progress towards greater gender balance in its Cabinet. Her departure will have reputational and political consequences both domestically and abroad. It remains to be seen who will take up the important role of defense minister next, and how von der Leyen’s tenure as President of the European Commission will be impacted by the controversy.
