Chancellor Olaf Scholf followed a zigzag course

Berlin In Meseberg everything is prepared for a good meeting and good pictures on Tuesday. The voluntary self-tests that the cabinet members underwent came back negative, the sun shone from a cloudless sky.

After all, Corona offers this one advantage: Because the pandemic did not allow it beforehand, the first cabinet meeting of the traffic light government was postponed to May, “with better weather now”, as Olaf Scholz noted at the beginning.

However, the external circumstances contrast with the dreary political situation. The Chancellor is under extreme pressure because of his Russia policy. First the chancellor was accused of hesitation in the conflict with Russia, then warmongering.

No matter which way you look at it, the chancellor’s communication in these times of war is suboptimal. “We’re just managing to make determined politics look as hesitant as possible,” says a high-ranking SPD member. “We make life difficult for ourselves,” says another.