Merz government's first 100 days criticized as a "disaster" by Left leader Schwerdtner
Ines Schwerdtner, the co-chair of the Left Party, has launched a scathing critique of the Schwarz-Rot (black-red) government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In an interview with NOZ, published on August 9, 2025, Schwerdtner voiced her concerns about the government's performance in several key policy areas.
Schwerdtner's criticisms focus on the government's failure to adequately protect social welfare, its militaristic foreign policy, and its restrictive migration stance. In the realm of pensions, work, and care, she demands more social justice and stronger rights for workers and care providers, criticising the government's neoliberal and capitalist-aligned policies that tend to neglect social welfare and working-class protection.
Regarding defense and foreign policy, Schwerdtner condemns the government's increasing military support and arms purchases, particularly in relation to conflicts such as in Gaza and Ukraine. She expresses strong disapproval of Germany's complicity in military actions and genocide, opposing the bellicose stance embraced by Merz and defense minister Boris Pistorius. Schwerdtner also criticised Merz's invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid controversy, pointing to the government’s problematic alignment in foreign conflicts.
On migration, Schwerdtner sharply criticises the government's cautious and restrictive approach, especially regarding humanitarian aid for children from Gaza. She condemns the reluctance of Merz's CDU/CSU coalition to admit seriously injured children, calling earlier remarks by conservative politicians on this matter "shameful" and unacceptable. Schwerdtner contrasts Germany’s inaction with other European countries that admit children in need, accusing the government of passivity while people die.
Schwerdtner also accused the government of negligence and lack of control in governance, criticising Union faction leader Jens Spahn and describing the SPD coalition partner as passive ("sleeping rabbit"). She signaled concerns over the government's instability and criticised its handling of parliamentary processes such as judge elections, warning that the government could not last the full term under such conditions.
Schwerdtner's criticism of the Union extends to its foreign policy. She accused the Union of using the incompatibility resolution as a smokescreen to avoid dealing with demands for more social justice. Schwerdtner also stated that the meeting between Chancellor Merz and US President Donald Trump at the White House had no effect on tariffs, the Ukraine war, or the Gaza war.
Schwerdtner specifically criticised spending on defense, stating that it goes towards armament and investments in "dead metal." She accused the government of leaving municipalities financially in the lurch by cutting funding for schools and hospitals while simultaneously increasing defense spending and pursuing an authoritarian migration policy. Instead of relief for the majority, she claimed that there are gifts for large companies.
Schwerdtner also criticised the SPD for supporting harsher migration policies and the CDU's misdeeds. She pointed out that despite more funds being available than any previous government, they are distributed unfairly. The AfD's popularity has not been curbed by the Schwarz-Rot government in the first three months of its term, according to Schwerdtner.
The current federal government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been described as a "classic false start" and a "fiasco" by the co-chair of the Left Party, Ines Schwerdtner. The photograph used in the article is of Ines Schwerdtner, Chairwoman of the Left Party, taken by Olaf Kostritz.
- Ines Schwerdtner, the co-chair of the Left Party, claimed that the Schwarz-Rot government's migration policy, particularly in relation to offering humanitarian aid for children from Gaza, is unsatisfactory, labeling it as cautious and restrictive.
- Schwerdtner also criticized the government's foreign policy, accusing it of using inflammatory situations like the incompatibility resolution as a smokescreen to avoid addressing demands for more social justice.
- Regarding parliamentary processes such as judge elections, Schwerdtner indicated concerns about the government's stability, warning that it might not survive the full term under such conditions.
