Chancellor Angela Merkel’s successor, Armin Lashet, was forced to apologize after being filmed laughing during a visit to flood-affected areas in West Germany, reports AFP.
The scandal was exacerbated by the fact that Lashet is the prime minister of one of the two regions hardest hit by the disaster – the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where dozens of people lost their lives.
Laschet, who is also president of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, was filmed laughing during a speech of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
A video on the local TV channel Veer De shows Lachet standing in the background laughing for 30 seconds with six other people.
This is Germany’s conservative chancellor candidate Armin #Laschet laughing in the background as President Steinmeier talks about the flooding. via @susannnesorgen pic.twitter.com/SJp8HyM2Fi
– Benjamin Alvarez (@ BenjAlvarez1) July 17, 2021
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The video, shared hundreds of times on Twitter, was identified as “scandalous” and “disgusting” and angry politicians from the Social Democratic Party, partners of the Christian Democrats in the government coalition led by Merkel, as well as a number of consumers.
Opposition Liberal Free Democratic Party senior spokesman Michael Toirer said Lashet did not comply with the event, as he joked as the head of state paid tribute to the victims.
Lashet apologized for the scandal on Twitter and regretted the impression his conversation had made. He admitted that what happened was inappropriate.
