It began during the federal election campaign – now SPD politician Michael Roth (51) has to pull the ripcord: How the “Spiegel“ reported, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee is retiring until further notice. The reason: a state of mental exhaustion, as he reported to the news magazine.
According to Roth, he has been in treatment since the turn of the year, just shortly after winning the federal election in September. He has been on sick leave since June and is supposed to gather new strength.
The descriptions of the member of the Bundestag are haunting. He told the “Spiegel” about his mental state: “I had the feeling that I was jumping from floe to floe in the Arctic Ocean and they gradually got smaller. I was afraid of failure. Panic about what’s coming. I didn’t know that until then. It was clear then: I need help.”
His doctor then advised him to completely withdraw from the political business for a while. He’ll do that for a while now.
Roth also looks for the cause of the high level of psychological stress in politics: “It’s a kick to have defended your mandate after a sometimes damn difficult election campaign. And there’s a tremendous appeal in looking at how many times I’m quoted, how many appearances I have, how many followers. It’s the currency today and it’s hard to break away from it.”
According to Roth, he does not want to give any interviews during his break and will not use social networks.
Roth’s position in the Ukraine War
In the past few weeks and months, the foreign politician has repeatedly appeared in connection with the Ukraine war. Among other things, at the beginning of May he once again campaigned for Ukraine to join the European Union as quickly as possible and for an oil embargo against Russia.
At least the “Embargo Light” has now been implemented; Ukraine’s accession to the EU is also considered certain. As recently as Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech to the Luxembourg Parliament that his country already considers itself part of the EU: “Ukraine has already become a de facto member of the EU. I believe that Ukraine is already showing by its actions that it meets the European criteria.”