Dear USA, you're not alone: Germany's government collapses
BREAKING: Germany’s three-party ruling coalition collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced he would fire his Finance Minister Christian Lindner over persistent disagreements about economic reforms. Full story: https://t.co/tTzoSsJIWQ pic.twitter.com/1fzQdqBge5
- POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) November 6, 2024
The US isn't the only country facing an uncertain political future, as Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Social Democrats) has fired his Finance Minister Christian Lindner (Liberals), effectively ending the current three-party ruling coalition. Chancellor Scholz announced that he will ask Parliament for a vote of confidence on January 15th. This move has increased the likelihood of early elections, possibly in March instead of September.
Last week, a leaked policy paper from the Finance Minister proposed tax cuts and reduced climate policies, which conflicted with his coalition partners’ positions. The government is also dealing with a €2.4 billion gap in the 2025 budget and Germany’s struggling economy.
Current polls show that most people would vote for the Conservatives, with 33% support, while the Social Democrats and the far-right are both polling at 16%. The Greens (the third partner of the coalition) are currently at 10%, and the Liberals are polling at only 4%, risking failure to meet the threshold for parliamentary seats in the next election. If the Conservatives win, Germany’s next Chancellor would be multimillionaire and former BlackRock chairman Friedrich Merz, who notoriously voted against a law in 1997 that would make marital rape punishable.
source: @PoliticoEurope, paraphrased by me
