He will seek to negotiate with opponents an economic plan for 2025, after dismissing the Minister of Finance
Ap
La Jornada Newspaper
Friday, November 8, 2024, p. 19
Berlin. After Germany’s governing coalition collapsed dramatically when Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the pro-business Liberal Democrats, Scholz declared that he would run the country with a minority government in parliament. , despite calls by opposition leaders on Thursday to hold early elections.
Scholz indicated that the minority government would be made up of his Social Democrats and the Greens until early next year, even as the leader of the largest opposition bloc in parliament, Friedrich Merz of the center-right Christian Democrats, called for an immediate no-confidence vote and new elections.
Scholz reiterated yesterday that he does not want to call a confidence vote before January 15.
Citizens will soon have the opportunity to decide again how to proceedsaid the chancellor, according to the German news agency Dpa. It is your right, therefore, I will present the vote of confidence to the Bundestag (Parliament) at the beginning of 2025.
The meeting between Merz and Scholz, held in the chancellery, and in which a possible date for the next election was discussed, ended after less than an hour. Merz did not comment on the talks.
Later, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier handed over his dismissal certificates to Lindner, the dismissed Finance Minister, and two other Liberal Democrat officials who resigned: Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing will add the Justice Ministry to his portfolio. Steinmeier also appointed Jorg Kukies, Scholz’s economic advisor, as the new finance minister. The head of Agriculture, Cem Ozdemir, of the Greens, agreed to add the Ministry of Research to his agenda.
Scholz announced Wednesday night that he would seek a confidence vote on Jan. 15, which he said could lead to early elections, perhaps, in March. The vote was scheduled for September 2025.
After firing his finance minister, Scholz accused Lindner of violating his trust by publicly calling for a fundamentally different economic policy, including what the chancellor said would be billions in tax cuts for a few high earners, while Pensions were cut for all retirees. That’s not decentScholz said.
The chancellor hopes that his minority government will gain the support of Merz’s Christian Democrats in parliament in the coming weeks to pass important laws to plug the multi-billion euro hole in the 2025 budget.
Merz flatly rejected Scholz’s plan to wait until January to hold a confidence vote. Since Scholz’s government no longer has parliamentary strength, it is likely to lose the vote.
In that case, the German president would dissolve the Bundestang within 21 days and early elections could be held starting in January.
The coalition’s collapse came after weeks of wrangling among its members over how to boost the country’s ailing economy.
Lindner’s pro-business Liberal Democrats rejected tax increases and proposed cuts to various social welfare programs, such as pensions.
