German opposition conservatives called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to allow a vote of confidence immediately and hold elections in January, a day after his shaky three-party coalition collapsed and plunged the country into political chaos.
The coalition fell apart on Wednesday as years of tensions reached their peak in a row over how to plug a multi-billion-euro hole in the budget and how to revive Europe’s biggest economy, which is heading into its second year. of contraction.
The rift came a day after Republican Donald Trump was elected to a second term as U.S. president and could harm Europe’s ability to form a united response on issues ranging from possible new U.S. trade tariffs to Russia’s war in Ukraine. and the future of the NATO alliance.
Scholz, from the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), said he fired his finance minister from the fiscally conservative Free Democrats for opposing his plan to lift the debt brake again to raise more funds for Ukraine and the economy.
This led to the allied party withdrawing from the government, leaving Scholz’s SPD and the Greens. The chancellor said he would hold a vote of confidence in January, which he would likely lose, triggering new elections by the end of March – six months before elections originally scheduled for September.
Friedrich Merz, leader of the opposition conservatives who are leading in national polls, said it was too late and that he wanted a vote of confidence immediately, “early next week at the latest.”
Elections could take place in the second half of January next year, he said.
“We simply cannot afford to have a government without a majority in Germany for several months now, followed by an election campaign for several more months and then possibly several weeks of coalition negotiations,” he told reporters.
“Time is of the essence.”
Merz said he would ask Scholz to speed up the vote of confidence in his meeting with him scheduled for noon.
Scholz may have to heed these calls, as due to the demise of his coalition he will have to rely on makeshift parliamentary majorities to pass any serious measures.
The political crisis comes at a critical time for Germany, with a stagnant economy, aging infrastructure and an unprepared army. But it could also be a “blessing” given the tensions that have plagued this coalition, the first of its kind at the national level, said ING economist Carsten Brzeski.
“Elections and a new government can and should end the current paralysis of an entire country and offer new, clear policy guidance and certainty,” he said.
Joerg Kukies, a senior German Chancellery official and deputy finance minister, has been chosen to replace Lindner as finance minister, a government spokesman said. The SPD’s Kukies is considered a close ally of Scholz.
This content was originally published in Scholz should hold a vote of confidence immediately, says the German opposition on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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