German Finance Chief Who Quit Cites ‘Poor Teamwork’

Oskar Lafontaine on Sunday ended three days of silence over the reason for his abrupt resignation as finance minister by criticizing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s government for its “poor teamwork.”

Lafontaine, who quit without a word on Thursday after a power struggle with Schroeder, had refused to explain why he resigned as finance minister and chairman of the ruling Social Democrats.

He hung up on Schroeder when the chancellor tried to telephone him after receiving Lafontaine’s letter of resignation and disappeared into seclusion behind the gates and shuttered windows of his house on the French border.

“The reason for my resignation is the poor teamwork that we provided in the last few months,” Lafontaine told journalists, many of whom had been waiting outside his house for day for an explanation of his departure.

“Without good teamwork, you can’t work together successfully. Teamwork requires that you watch out for each other and that you stick together. . . ,” he said.