Social Democrat (SPD) interior minister of the state of Lower Saxony Boris Pistorius is to function Germany’s next defence minister, two sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will appoint Boris Pistorius, the long-serving interior minister of Lower Saxony, to interchange Christine Lambrecht as minister of defense, the federal government confirmed Tuesday morning.
The Social Democrat Pistorius will receive his mandate on Thursday.
The appointment comes inside a day of predecessor Lambrecht’s resignation, tendered amid intense media scrutiny and escalating pressure over Germany’s response to the war in Ukraine.
“The main target from the media over months on my person hardly allows for objective reporting and discussion in regards to the soldiers, the armed forces and the course for security policy within the interest of Germany’s residents,” Lambrecht said on Monday.
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner congratulated Pistorius’ appointment via Twitter.
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