Skip next section Far-right AfD looks to capitalize on snap electionNovember 12, 2024
Far-right AfD looks to capitalize on snap electionThe Alternative for Germany party (AfD) is eager for things to proceed quickly, now that Germany’s governing coalition has collapsed.
“Chancellor Scholz has long lost the trust of the German people and he must clear the way for a new election immediately,” Alice Weidel, co-chair of the far-right AfD, put it after the government collapsed last week.
The AfD Scholz to face a vote of no confidence and step down “as soon as possible.”
The far-right party has fiercely attacked the governing coalition since it was first took power at the end of December 2021.
It has criticized the coalition for failing on all policy levels, calling for a radical change, especially in migration and foreign policy. Similar to US President-elect Donald Trump, the party has campaigned hard against irregular migration and open borders.
And it vehemently opposes all arms shipments to Ukraine.
Though unlikely to govern, how does the AfD want to reach German voters? Read DW’s analysis.
Could Germany repeat its Nazi past?,To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/4mv1i
Skip next section CDU, Green and voter pressure accelerated election process November 12, 2024
CDU, Green and voter pressure accelerated election process The presumed election date in February is very much in line with the wishes of the opposition CDU, which has pressured Scholz to hold the poll as early as possible.
The CDU under its leader, Friedrich Merz, is currently enjoying good popularity ratings amid widespread dissatisfaction with a coalition government whose constant infighting seemed to prevent it from effective decision-making.
The Greens, another partner in the three-way coalition, had also called on Scholz, who initially suggested an election in late March, to speed up the process.
German voters also appear to be in favor of getting the elections behind them, with a recent poll showing two-thirds wanting the poll sooner rather than later.
The collapse of the German government comes at a time when strong leadership from the biggest European economy would seem highly necessary amid numerous geopolitical and environmental challenges.
CDU’s Merz demands immediate vote of confidence in BundestagTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/4muzv
Skip next section Germany parliamentary leaders agree on election date, sources sayNovember 12, 2024
Germany parliamentary leaders agree on election date, sources sayGermany will hold snap general elections on February 23 following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left coalition, according to parliamentary sources speaking to dpa and AFP news agencies on Tuesday.
The sources said parliamentary leaders from Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) and the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) reached an agreement on the date on Tuesday.
Germany snap election reportedly set for Febuary 2025To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Scholz is expected to call a vote of confidence in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, on December 16 to enable the election to be held.
The collapse of the three-way ruling coalition was triggered by Scholz’s firing of his finance minister, Christian Lindner, from the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), which led to the FDP’s withdrawal from the government.
The FDP pullout left Scholz without a majority in the Bundestag.
https://p.dw.com/p/4muuT
Skip next section What was Scholz’s ‘traffic light’ coalition’?November 12, 2024
What was Scholz’s ‘traffic light’ coalition’?A “traffic light” coalition in Germany includes the center-left SPD (represented by red), the business-focused Free Democrats (FDP — represented by yellow), and the environmentalist Greens.
The traffic light coalition formed under Scholz in 2021 is just one example.
Germany’s 2021 general election saw the SPD emerging as the biggest party in Germany’s lower house, the Bundestag, ahead of its main rival, the conservative CDU/CSU union.
The SPD had shared power as a junior coalition partner with conservatives in a so-called “grand coalition” for three terms during Chancellor Angela Merkel’s 16 years in office.
Three years ago, both parties ruled out the possibility of a similar, if reversed situation with the conservatives as junior.
Instead, the political pendulum swung toward the traffic light coalition.
After long negotiations, the three parties announced a deal in late November 2021, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his cabinet taking office soon afterward.
It was on EU, foreign, and security policy that the three parties seem to be most aligned.
However, there were always fundamental differences in the parties’ domestic platforms.
The FDP was against the SPD and Greens’ plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest to deal with the pandemic and the resulting national debt.
Lindner’s liberals appear also at odds with both parties’ climate policy, which envisions a stronger government hand. Instead, the FDP wanted market-driven solutions to the climate crisis.
More recently, the three parties remained deeply divided over next year’s budget and the steps required to fix the country’s ailing economy.
https://p.dw.com/p/4muwn
Skip next section How did Germany’s governing coalition collapse?November 12, 2024
How did Germany’s governing coalition collapse?Representatives of the three parties making up Germany’s center-left government — the SPD, the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens — met for a crisis meeting on Wednesday last week. It lasted only two hours.
The coalition partners no longer had much to say to each other.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the FDP proposed early elections, Scholz refused and dismissed Lindner from office.
The three parties have been at odds nearly since agreeing to form the so-called traffic light coalition, but it was a debate over how to plug a large hole in next year’s budget that proved its ultimate undoing.
Germany’s tripartite coalition, the first time such a three-way combination had been tried at federal level, seemed to many unstable from the start, comprising as it did three ideologically diverse parties.
The greatest tension in the coalition — called the “Ampel” or “traffic-light” coalition after the parties’ signature colors — was probably that between the SPD and the Greens, both to the left of the political spectrum, and the neoliberalFDP.
From the time the coalition began to govern in 2021, the FDP consistently rebelled against the more interventionist policies of its partners.
Things came to a head during recent budget discussions, where the FDP’s opposition to higher borrowing to finance its partners’ climate and social policy goals and boost the economy caused a stalemate.
That led to the sacking of Lindner, which in turn triggered the withdrawal of his party from the coalition.
The now two-way coalition has since governed as a minority government that has to seek opposition support to pass any laws.
Some observers say that the FDP’s recalcitrance has been a bid to raise the party’s profile, with recent polls showing it has less than the 5% voter support needed to be included in the federal parliament.
DW details how the coalition fell apart in this article.
Germans favor snap elections following coalition collapseTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
tj/wmr (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
https://p.dw.com/p/4muwl
Comments