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Lindner Slams Merz Over Rising Debt, Rules Out Return to Politics

The former finance minister rules out a comeback, citing new family priorities.

Overview

  • In a new ntv interview reported by WELT, the ex-FDP leader says the schwarz‑rote government is piling up debt instead of delivering the reforms promised by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
  • He warns that by the end of the decade a high share of the federal budget will be required for interest payments.
  • He criticizes the EU‑backed €90 billion loan for Ukraine as debt mutualization that erodes fiscal discipline.
  • He calls his biggest political mistake not demanding a renegotiation of the coalition agreement after the Constitutional Court ruling on about €60 billion.
  • He says he became a father in 2025, is moving into a leadership role at Autoland, and praises Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt’s migration policy while noting Economics Minister Katharina Reiche sometimes lacks political backing.