Germany’s coalition government collapsed on Wednesday after left-wing Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner, a day after President-elect Donald Trump won the US election.
The newspaper said Scholz’s decision split his three-party coalition, expelling Lindner’s party from the coalition and leaving the two remaining parties still supported by Scholz enough to secure a majority in parliament. The situation was such that it did not have any seats. multiple I will report it. Mr. Scholz has vowed to continue governing with the now-minority coalition until the end of the year. (Related: How leaders around the world reacted to Trump’s victory)
“I wish we had avoided this difficult decision,” Scholz said at a news conference Wednesday. According to In the New York Times. “This is especially true in times like these when there is so much uncertainty.”
Lindner was fired because of disagreements with Scholz over what Germany’s economic policy should be, according to the Associated Press. Two other senior members of Lindner’s party, the Free Democratic Party, also resigned.
BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 1: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Finance Minister Christian Lindner chat ahead of the weekly government cabinet meeting on February 1, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. Top of the agenda this morning is the so-called “Deutschland ticket”, or “German ticket”. This is a €49 monthly ticket for regional rail services, valid nationwide. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
“Olav Scholz has sadly shown that he is incapable of giving our country a new start,” Lindner told reporters Wednesday, calling Scholz’s economic proposals “dull and dull,” according to the NYT. “Ambitious,” he said.
According to the NYT, Scholz has vowed to hold a vote of confidence in Congress in January. If Scholz receives the no-confidence motion, it is likely that a snap election will be held soon thereafter.
The Prime Minister’s decision came a day after Mr Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, but signals that Mr Trump’s approach is more skeptical than President Joe Biden’s seemingly unconditional relationship with Europe. If you think about it, Germany and other European countries are in crisis.
During his first term in office, Trump focused on the trade imbalance between the United States and Europe. The German Institute for Economic Research (IW) estimates that a potential trade war between the United States and Germany could cost the country around $200 billion. According to To Politico EU.
President Trump also felt during his first term that it was unfair that the United States was paying for the bulk of NATO’s defense spending while European countries were falling short of their spending goals. President Trump repeatedly threatened during his first term to withdraw the United States from NATO if European member states did not continue to meet the agreement’s objectives.
Scholz congratulated President Trump on Tuesday on his presidential victory, but also called on European countries to strive to rely more closely on each other. According to to Reuters. Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron are working closely with other European leaders on this issue.
“The European Union must work closely together and act united,” Scholz told reporters on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
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