Annalena Baerbock

As General Assembly President, Baerbock organised public hearings and asked the Security Council to favour candidates who had participated in dialogue with the Assembly. US and Russian representatives accused her of exceeding her powers, with the US representative also accusing her of 'hypocrisy'.

State of the evidence

Allegations

The German government replaced its original candidate, diplomat Helga Schmid, at a late stage with Baerbock for the presidency of the UN General Assembly. Former diplomats and officials strongly criticised the manner in which Schmid had been sidelined. Baerbock was nevertheless elected with 167 votes, compared with seven write-in votes for Schmid and fourteen abstentions.

State of the evidence

Documented

Government responses to the Bundestag revealed approximately 136 500 euros in make-up and styling expenses in 2022, following nearly 7 900 euros in 2021 and numerous further engagements, sparking controversy over the use of public funds for the minister's appearance.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

At the Council of Europe, Baerbock urged allies to remain united, saying in English that they were fighting 'a war against Russia and not against each other'. The phrase was picked up by Russian propaganda and forced the German government to reiterate that Germany was not a party to the conflict.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

In a Fox News interview, Baerbock referred to Xi Jinping as one of the 'dictators'. Beijing described the statement as a political provocation and summoned the German ambassador.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

A clip in which Baerbock said she wanted to honour the promise made to Ukraine 'no matter what my German voters think' triggered the hashtag #BaerbockRuecktritt and strong attacks over her attitude towards German voters.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

During the 2021 campaign, Baerbock had to declare retrospectively to the Bundestag 25 220,28 euros in special payments received from her party between 2018 and 2020, including Christmas and pandemic-related bonuses.

State of the evidence

Documented

Baerbock's campaign was disrupted by several corrections to her curriculum vitae, notably concerning affiliations or descriptions of her career. These revisions fuelled controversy over her accuracy and credibility as a candidate.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Researcher Stefan Weber identified passages closely resembling other publications and accused Baerbock of plagiarism and copyright violations. Several lawyers considered certain passages questionable, while others regarded them as legally harmless.

State of the evidence

Disputed