After the traffic light coalition in Berlin fell apart, the two parties still in government, the SPD and the Greens, are trying to pick up the pieces again. The CDU could help now – at least temporarily. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and opposition leader Friedrich Merz will discuss how to proceed on Thursday. But Merz is putting pressure on him and wants new elections as soon as possible, while Scholz does not want to ask for a vote of confidence in parliament until January (!).
But the CDU chairman wants people to be elected. Apparently the support of the now red-green minority government also depends on this. If Scholz clears the way for new elections in January, the Union will examine which legislative projects it can support by then, Merz said. “We are of course prepared (…) to take responsibility for our country.” Scholz explained that he wanted to “look for solutions” together with the Union during a transition phase, but insisted on January 15 as the date of the vote. of trust.
AfD celebrates “liberation for our country”
AfD leader Alice Weidel celebrated the collapse of the traffic light coalition as a “liberation for our country” and also called for an immediate vote of confidence from the Chancellor in the Bundestag. The country “urgently needs a restart,” Weidel said on the short-messaging platform X.
“The traffic lights are history. There is no time to lose now,” CSU leader Markus Söder wrote on X. Similar statements also came from the new alliance Sarah Wagenknecht (BSW) and the left.
Lindner: “We need a government that can act”
The dismissed Finance Minister also called on Thursday for an immediate vote of confidence in the government and thus the initiation of new elections. At the same time, Christian Lindner emphasized: “The Federal Chancellery should not become a campaign headquarters. Our country needs a government that can not only hold office, but also act.” In his press statement, the FDP politician admitted that things had not been going well in the three-party coalition for a long time.
He would certainly be available again as the FDP’s top candidate in the upcoming federal elections if the party so desired, Lindner said after talks with the Liberal committees. He also went after Scholz again: breaking the traffic light would not have been inevitable. It was politically wanted by others. He accused his former partners of foul play.
German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was fundamentally open to new elections via a vote of confidence. But the benchmark for him is that the country needs a stable government. In the event of a failed vote of confidence, he would have to decide on the dissolution of the Bundestag. “This is not the time for tactics and skirmishes. I expect responsibility from everyone,” he said.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
