Traffic light off: This is how the press judges the coalition break

There were only two left. After Chancellor Olaf Scholz kicked out his Finance Minister Christian Lindner on Wednesday, the SPD and the Greens govern in the minority. At least until next March – theoretically there should be new elections.

It’s still a long time away. First of all, it is important to sort out the aftereffects of this political explosion.

“Süddeutsche Zeitung”: The traffic light broke exactly where it broke. The tension between the two left-wing parties, the SPD and the Greens, and the one that is significantly further to the right FDP put a strain on the alliance from the start. That the SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz ultimately his FDP finance minister Christian Lindner fired to prevent “damage” to the country was the logical end.

“Time Online”: Lindner provoked his expulsion, if not consciously taken it into account. With his strategy paper to save the German economy, which the SPD and the Greens could not accept, he demanded a directional decision that he had to lose. […] The truth is: After this preliminary run, Scholz had no other choice. He did not hide how deeply he was personally disappointed in Lindner. Until the last days of their joint government, the Chancellor had always taken the wishes of the FDP into consideration, but it was of little use to Scholz. The result was not only often bad compromises in climate, migration or social policy. Lindner’s FDP also played a decisive role in shaping the image of his chancellorship, which, as is well known, was an extremely unhappy one.

“The mirror”: The three partners did not find what they had in common. The brash SPD, the arrogant Greens, the constantly blocking FDP – they all pursued their own agendas. And that worked initially because the money came from additional budgets. When the Federal Constitutional Court put an end to this last fall, the traffic light began to decline. It’s good that all of this is now over. Because the traffic light not only damaged itself, but also undermined trust in the political system.

“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”: The development had become apparent over the past few weeks and months, but then the end came abruptly. […] The only thing that has increased significantly recently was the dissatisfaction in the FDP with the traffic light partners. And the anger in the ranks of the SPD and the Greens at the tactics of the upper liberal. Chancellor Scholz put it this way when he officially announced the separation: “He has broken my trust too often.” Lindner immediately shot back. He accused Scholz of deliberately causing the separation. “His carefully prepared statement this evening proves that Olaf Scholz was no longer concerned with an agreement that was viable for everyone, but rather with a calculated break in this coalition.”

“Taz”: After Donald Trump’s election victory in the USA, many expected that the federal government would pull itself together again that evening. In fact, the crisis summit scheduled for today looked even more provincial than it already did: a right-wing extremist wins the elections in the most powerful democracy in the world, the future of the West is uncertain, and the German finance minister wants to present his ideas to his coalition partners at an evening introductory seminar Explain ordoliberalism.

“Handelsblatt”: Lindner’s consistent course for new elections deserves respect. […] Germany is in recession for the second year in a row, and the labor market is also taking its first hits. Scholz and Economics Minister Robert Habeck were unwilling to take responsibility for a realignment or a new election. Lindner acted. Opponents of the Federal Finance Minister like to accuse him of being a political player. But now he has done the right thing at the right moment. One almost wants to say: Respect, Mr. Lindner! Risking your position to remain true to yourself doesn’t happen often in politics.