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He has to leave, and the coalition remains. Should there have even been a reasonably elegant solution in the crippling debate over the flickering constitutional protection president Hans-Georg Maaßen, then it is the three party leaders Angela Merkel (CDU), Horst Seehofer (CSU) and Andrea Nahles (SPD) now Maaßen becomes Secretary of State in the Federal Ministry of the Interior. And all coalition partners have won.

First, the SPD: Maaßen must go, otherwise wobble the coalition, had threatened the Social Democrats in recent days ever louder. They got what they wanted - and now they can continue to form coalition, avoiding presumptive new elections. For the time being, anyway.

Then Horst Seehofer: The ailing Minister of the Interior had expressed his confidence Maaßen early. The fact that he did not have to put him on a directive from his Chancellor in the temporary retirement, but can bind the esteemed lawyer as Secretary of State closer to him, also allows him to remain in office and in the coalition. At least until the next row.

And Angela Merkel: The Chancellor has pacified her coalition for the time being and kept it together - and let Horst Seehofer know that she will not let him put pressure on him again. Your cabinet may now, after weeks of crisis management, possibly return to actual government tasks. Until it crashes again in the Grand Coalition.

Maaßen has done serious damage to his office

For a much longer time, Maaßen's staff would not have smoldered any more. His medial supporters had already begun a great harshness, so that one should not deal with a deserving official, who uses all his strength to protect all our security and the constitution. Maaßen should only be shot down because he criticized Angela Merkel's refugee policy. His supporters painted the image of a despotic Chancellor, who does not tolerate any contradiction and dumps her critics - even if and especially if they are right.

In fact, the list of men whose careers have not survived to face Angela Merkel is impressively long. But Maaßen did not have to give way because he opposed the chancellor. Instead, he urgently needed to be removed from office for causing serious damage. The constitutional protector Maassen could no longer be trusted.

Via "Bild" newspaper he had spread unqualified views on the events after the homicidal death in Chemnitz, rather than contribute to their education. He cast doubt on the authenticity of a video showing a group of xenophobes unleashing on bystanders. He did, although his agency had not yet checked the recording. He spoke of a "deliberate misinformation," although he had no evidence for his claim. He spoke of a "murder" in Chemnitz, although the exact circumstances of the crime had not yet been determined.

His private opinion is no longer of interest

Instead of factual information, Hans-Georg Maassen spread unfounded conspiracy theories. As a private citizen, he may cling to his own views - but these, without any basis and with the authority of his office in the tabloids to spread was an unreasonable border crossing.

The fact that Hans-Georg Maaßen has to vacate the position of Chief of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution for this outrageous provocation, but that he has actually been promoted, may seem absurd - it is a collateral career push. Maaßen was disposed of upstairs, he fell up the stairs. His basic salary increases by 2,580.20 euros per month to 14,157.33 euros.

Although this is annoying, but has a decisive advantage: State secretaries give generally no interviews, they ventilate no opinions, their work is far from being as symbolic as that of a constitutional protection president. As a top official, he alone has to work with the minister, efficiently and silently. His undisputed legal competence may now be used by Maaßen directly for Seehofer, but his private opinion is no longer of interest to anyone.

May only his successor in the protection of the constitution take note of the most important virtue of a secret service agent: secrecy.