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German ambassador expelled from Chad, officials confirm

The German ambassador to Chad, declared persona non grata by the government for his "impolite attitude", was expelled from the country Saturday evening, officials in N'Djamena told AFP Sunday.

German ambassador expelled from Chad, officials confirm
The Art and Music centre where Mahamat Idriss Deby was sworn in as Chad's transitional president on October 10th, 2022. Photo: DENIS SASSOU GUEIPEUR/AFP

On Friday, the government of Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, proclaimed head of state by the army two years ago, asked the German diplomat to leave within 48 hours for “non-respect of diplomatic practices”.

“The ambassador of Germany to Chad, Jan Christian Gordon Kricke, took an Air France flight Saturday evening,” said Foreign Minister Mahamat Saleh Annadif.

His departure was also confirmed to AFP by government spokesperson Aziz Mahamat Saleh. Officials did not specify the exact reasons for his expulsion.

But a Chadian government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP that N’Djamena was critical of the diplomat for “interfering too much” in the “governance of the country”, as well as for “remarks tending to divide Chadians”.

A German foreign ministry official on Friday deemed the reasons for expelling their ambassador, who had held the post since July 2021, “absolutely incomprehensible”.

Deby Itno, then a young 37-year-old general, was proclaimed president on April 20, 2021, when his father who had led the vast Sahelian country for 30 years was killed by rebels.

The military junta initially promised to hand power to civilians through “free and democratic elections”, however in October, Deby’s rule was extended for two years.

The move has been boycotted by the opposition and main rebel movements.

The German embassy joined others such as France, Spain and The Netherlands in expressing its concern over the delayed return to democracy.

Main opposition leaders have been in exile or in hiding since demonstrations against the ruling junta in October turned violent, officially leaving 73 people dead, although NGOs claim the number was much higher.

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GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

Foreigners in Germany are waiting on tenterhooks for the introduction of the new dual nationality law on Thursday - but the centre-right CDU and CSU say they would overturn the reform if re-elected next year.

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

“The CDU and CSU will reverse this unsuccessful reform,” Alexander Throm (CDU), spokesperson on domestic policy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told DPA on Tuesday.

“Dual citizenship must remain the exception and be limited to countries that share our values.”

Throm also criticised the new citizenship law for reducing the amount of time foreigners need to live in the country before naturalising as Germans, describing the new residence requirements as “far too short”.

“After five or even three years, it is not yet possible to determine with certainty whether integration has been successful in the long term,” he stated.

“The recent caliphate demonstrations and the rampant Islamist extremism, often by people with German passports, must be a wake-up call for us all.”

READ ALSO: Which foreign residents are likely to become German after citizenship law change?

Despite vociferous opposition, the alliance between the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party (CSU) was powerless to stop the traffic-light coalition’s citizenship reform passing in both the Bundestag and Bundesrat earlier this year. 

The reform, which permits the holding of multiple passports, lowers residence requirements and removes language hurdles for certain groups, is set to come into force on June 27th. 

But with the CDU and CSU emerging as clear winners in the recent EU parliamentary elections and regularly landing on 30 percent or above in the polls, it’s possible that the party could be on course to re-enter government next year. 

In this situation, the centre-right parties have pledged to try and undo what senior CDU politicians have described as a “dangerous” reform.

“It is not unusual for successive governments to reverse decisions made by the previous government,” Andrea Lindholz, the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group said in a recent response to a question

“We will maintain our position on this and will continue to strive for a corresponding change.”

READ ALSO: What are citizenship offices around Germany doing to prepare for the new law?

Whether the CDU and CSU can secure enough votes at both state and federal elections to change the law in the future remains to be seen.

The parties may also have to compromise on their plans with any future coalition partner, such as the Greens, Social Democrats (SPD) or Free Democrats (FDP), all of whom support liberal immigration laws and the holding of multiple nationalities. 

‘Citizenship devaluation law’

The CDU and CSU parties, which form a centre-right alliance nicknamed the Union, have long been opposed to dual nationality in Germany.

During their years of governing in a so-called grand coalition with the centre-right Social Democrats (SPD), the parties had regularly made reforms of citizenship one of their red lines, citing the danger of hostile nations influencing Germany from within. 

In a recent parliamentary speech back in January, Throm had slammed the bill as a “citizenship devaluation law” and accused the government of trying to generate a new electorate to win votes.

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

In comments aimed primarily at Germany’s large Turkish diaspora, the CDU politician claimed that people who had lived in Germany for decades but not taken German citizenship had already chosen their old country over Germany.

The majority of Turks in Germany are also supporters of the authoritarian president Recep Erdogan, he argued.

Responding to the claims, FDP migration expert Ann-Veruschka Jurisch said the opposition was fuelling resentments against migrants by claiming the government was “squandering German citizenship”.

In fact, she argued, the reform has tightened up requirements by ensuring that people who claim benefits and cannot support themselves are unable to become German citizens.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Germany’s citizenship law reform

In addition, the B1 language requirements have only been softened in a few exceptional cases, for example to honour the lifetime achievements of the guest worker generation who had few opportunities when they arrived, Jurisch said. 

If foreigners have committed crimes, the authorities will be able to investigate whether these involved racist or anti-Semitic motives before citizenship is granted, she added. 

With reporting by DPA

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