Germany had just a few hours to celebrate Donald Trump’s victory, which plunged it into a political crisis. On Thursday, November 7, the country woke up with a private government of the majority and some of its ministers. The decision of Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), the day before, to dismiss his Finance Minister, the liberal Christian Lindner (FDP), definitively burying the tripartite coalition in power since 2021 and paving the way for early elections, surprised by surprise the number of elected officials. In Berlin, enthusiasm was palpable in the halls of the Bundestag on Thursday. “The reality is that no one is prepared for early elections, admits MP Sandra Weeser (FDP). There are still no candidates at the local level. »
On Wednesday afternoon, Olaf Scholz announced that he would undergo a vote of confidence on January 15, 2025, meaning that early parliamentary elections could be held in the spring. But the opposition, led by the leader of the Christian Democrats Friedrich Merz (CDU), calls for speeding up the calendar, with a vote of confidence next week for the January 2025 elections. “We cannot afford to have a government without a majority in Germany for several months, followed by a campaign for several more months and then possibly several weeks of coalition negotiations.”said Friedrich Merz, whose party currently leads the national polls, with around 32% of voting intentions, according to the latest polls.
“Our country needs a government that is not content with officiating, but is capable of acting, On Thursday he surpassed the offer of now former minister Christian Lindner. The correct thing would be to immediately raise the question of confidence and hold new elections. In a democracy, no one should be afraid of voters. » These calls have been joined by the extreme right and the new left-wing party of Sahra Wagenknecht, which stood out in the recent regional elections in the east of the country.
“Talk to both spheres of Germany”
Eager to reassure voters and economic circles, Olaf Scholz appointed his closest economic advisor, Jörg Kukies, as finance minister on Thursday morning. Although he will only hold the position on an interim basis, he is strategic: it was discussions over the 2025 budget that tore the coalition apart on Wednesday night, pitting supporters of austerity against those of recovery. At the center of the confrontations: the relaxation of the “debt brake”, this device of constitutional value that limits the structural deficit of the federal State to 0.35% of the gross domestic product each year.
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