(Berlin) Germany entered a period of major political crisis on Wednesday evening with the breakup of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s fragile coalition government, which paves the way for probable early elections in early 2025.
Published at 3:03 p.m. Updated at 6:29 p.m.
Pierrick YVON Agence France-Presse
This earthquake could not have come at a worse time for Europe’s largest economy, which is struggling with a serious industrial crisis and which is worried about the repercussions for its trade and security of the election of Republican Donald Trump as president in the United States. United.
At the head of the country since the end of 2021, the heterogeneous coalition uniting social democrats and environmentalists with the liberals of the FDP was shattered following the dismissal of Finance Minister Christian Lindner and leader of the liberals.
“We need a government capable of acting and which has the strength to take the necessary decisions for our country,” pleaded the Social Democratic Chancellor during a solemn speech.
Faced with “ultimatums” from his Minister of Finance, a supporter of strict budgetary rigor, Olaf Scholz judged that there was no longer “sufficient confidence for continued cooperation”.
The other liberal ministers announced their departure from the government late in the evening, thus depriving the Scholz government of a majority in the Chamber of Deputies.
Crucial vote in mid-January
The chancellor announced that he would ask MPs on January 15 to decide whether to hold early elections.
This decision is the culmination of months of quarrel between the three government parties over the economic policy to be pursued, which was further accentuated during the preparation of the 2025 budget, which must at all costs be completed in November.
If the elected representatives of the Bundestag want early legislative elections to be held before the scheduled date in September 2025, they could take place “at the latest at the end of March”, indicated Olaf Scholz.
PHOTO JOHN MACDOUGALL, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Finance Minister Christian Lindner was fired by Olaf Scholz on Wednesday.
For his Minister of Economy and Climate, the ecologist Robert Habeck, there is no doubt: his party will support the path of “orderly early elections”.
Olaf Scholz and Christian Lindner aired their grievances through microphones.
Christian Lindner has “too often betrayed my trust”, lamented Olaf Scholz, denouncing “selfish” behavior.
The champion of budgetary austerity immediately responded, accusing the chancellor of leading the country “into a phase of uncertainty” with this “calculated rupture of this coalition”.
The divorce was recorded after a day of crisis talks organized at the chancellery to try to save the executive led by Mr. Scholz since the end of 2021.
“This is not a good day for Germany, nor for Europe,” lamented Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, another figure in the Green Party.
Thursday in Budapest, during the summit of the European Political Community (EPC), the Chancellor will have to work to reassure his European partners. As well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, for whom Berlin is the second largest military supporter.
Coalition ruptures are very rare in Germany and Olaf Scholz initially wanted to lead his until the next legislative elections scheduled for September 28, 2025.
But the government team has been undermined for months by political dissensions, particularly on the economy and immigration, and by personal quarrels.
The Shadow of Trump
Without the liberals and therefore without a majority in Parliament, Olaf Scholz still hopes to be able to hold out for a few months to lead a minority government and have some laws adopted.
He said he would propose to the leader of the conservative opposition CDU-CSU, Friedrich Merz, to “work constructively together on crucial issues for our country”, particularly on the economy and defense.
Olaf Scholz hoped that the election of Donald Trump, a fan of protectionism and diplomatic confrontations, would force his coalition to close ranks.
PHOTO MICHAELA STACHE, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The leader of the Christian Democratic Party, Friedrich Merz
But the opposite happened. The FDP judged that the election in the United States made a change of economic course in Germany even more urgent.
If elections were to be held tomorrow, the conservative opposition would come out on top with more than 30% of the vote according to polls and its leader Friedrich Merz would be the favorite to become chancellor.
But he too would have difficulty forming a majority coalition, with the far-right AfD, lying in second place in the opinion polls.
