Michael Ebling (SPD) is the new interior minister of Rhineland-Palatinate. Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD) appointed the previous Mayor of Mainz on Thursday, and a little later he was sworn in in the state parliament. The 55-year-old SPD politician succeeds the long-standing department head Roger Lewentz (SPD), who resigned after growing criticism of his role in the wake of the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley.
In his first appearance as a new member of the cabinet, Ebling announced that he and his ministry would do their best to support the state parliament’s investigative committee on last year’s flood disaster. He rejected criticism from the opposition that he lacked experience and expertise in the urgently needed reorganization of civil protection. As mayor, he was also responsible for civil protection and gained a lot of crisis experience in the corona pandemic and refugee policy.
Lewentz announced his resignation on Wednesday. He was criticized for police videos from the night of the disaster, which have recently become public, and the helicopter pilots’ subsequent deployment report to the Ministry of the Interior. According to the police, the video recordings, which were accidentally forgotten, show people in dire need in the flood. With his resignation, he is taking political responsibility for mistakes made in his area of responsibility, said Lewentz.
