The FDP’s top candidate for the European elections, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, has expressed sharp and very fundamental criticism of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s political style. “You can’t reach him because he’s a blatant know-it-all,” she said in an interview.
“After three years, I notice that he has almost autistic traits, both in terms of his social contacts in politics and his inability to explain his actions to the citizens,” said the FDP politician in an interview with the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”.
Strack-Zimmermann is currently chairwoman of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee and a vocal advocate of extensive support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. In this context, she has repeatedly been noted for her harsh criticism of Scholz, whom she has repeatedly accused of hesitation in supplying weapons to Kyiv. The FDP defense expert has now stressed that her criticism does not only refer to the Chancellor’s Ukraine policy. “This applies to all issues and is also confirmed to me by his party colleagues.”
Strack-Zimmermann also reported on strange mix-ups that have occurred several times. She often experiences her name being confused with that of her party colleague, Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger. “That is really strange and has been with us since we both entered the Bundestag in 2017,” Strack-Zimmermann told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”.
This even led to a strange driving mishap. On one occasion, the Bundestag transport service accidentally drove her to Ms Stark-Watzinger’s apartment instead of her own. “I looked at my cell phone while driving and didn’t notice that we were going the wrong way.”