Germany before new elections
Pressure on Scholz is growing: calls for quick decisions
Things are getting lonelier around the Chancellor. His plan to pass important laws before a vote of confidence or to link them to the timetable finds little support outside the SPD.
After the traffic light coalition was eliminated, there were several calls for a quicker route to the new election: the Union and the FDP reiterated their call for Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to ask the Bundestag for a vote of confidence quickly or as early as this Wednesday. Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) expressed doubts about possible conditions for a quick vote of confidence and warned against a “hanging match” that would last too long.
On Monday, the federal and state election authorities want to discuss preparations for the early election of the Bundestag. In a letter to Scholz, Federal Returning Officer Ruth Brand warned of “unforeseeable risks” from shorter deadlines. According to Article 39, the Bundestag must be re-elected within 60 days of the Federal President dissolving Parliament. Brand wants to make full use of the deadline “in order to be able to take all necessary measures in a legally secure and timely manner.”
Criticism after comments about a lack of paper
In the letter, Brand pointed out logistical challenges such as appointing election committees, recruiting and training poll workers, organizing polling stations and, finally, possible problems with obtaining paper.
The paper industry is opposing this. “Clear answer: Yes. If ordered on time, we can deliver the paper required for an early federal election,” said Alexander von Reibnitz, general manager of the paper industry association, “ZDFheute.de”.
The Union also contradicted Brand. “I can therefore only advise the Federal Returning Officer not to allow anyone to exploit her,” says the First Parliamentary Managing Director of the Union faction, Thorsten Frei, to “Bild am Sonntag”. CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann told the newspaper that a country like Germany must be able to “hold elections within 60 days.”
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich warned in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” that the legal and practical requirements for the new election should be taken seriously.
Merz wants a vote of confidence from Scholz this Wednesday
Regarding offers from the SPD, which had tied an earlier date to negotiations on legislative proposals, CDU leader Friedrich Merz, who is also the Union’s candidate for chancellor, told the magazine “Stern”: “We can talk about that as soon as Olaf Scholz raises the vote of confidence in the German Bundestag His government statement on Wednesday would be a good opportunity for this.”
The new SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch told the “Westfälische Nachrichten” that the Chancellor could possibly ask the vote of confidence before Christmas. Of course, discussions were now underway about this.
After his traffic light coalition broke up, Scholz had shown himself willing to talk about the timing of a vote of confidence and the subsequent new election, after first mentioning January 15th for the vote of confidence and then an early federal election at the end of March. On Friday he called for an agreement in the Bundestag about which laws should still be passed.
The Greens express doubts about the Scholz plan
“What I’m very skeptical about is whether these good or bad reasons – you can think about it however you want – should be mixed up with the implementation of political pet projects,” said Habeck on Saturday in Neuhardenberg. “That doesn’t seem appropriate to the outstanding importance of this question of trust, and that’s how I look at it.”
The Greens were open to an earlier election date. “We Greens could easily live with an earlier date. We have done our work and are prepared for everything,” said outgoing party leader Omid Nouripour to “Bild am Sonntag”.
Parties are preparing for election campaigns
After the traffic light coalition broke up, the Greens want to present a “concise and pointed election program” this year. It is about an offer that recognizes the successes of the past few years and at the same time shows what is important now: staying the course in climate protection, strengthening justice and defending freedom and peace, says an urgent motion for the upcoming party conference from 15 to 17. November in Wiesbaden.
The SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil announced that the election campaign would focus on Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz. “The question for voters will be: Scholz or Merz?” said Klingbeil in an interview with “Zeit Online”. And: “Such polarization in the middle also helps against the populists.”
Liberals find the Chancellor unbelievable
The FDP once again called on Scholz to quickly clear the way to new elections. The fact that the Chancellor is now delaying this with reference to state political responsibility is completely unbelievable, said FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai to the German Press Agency.
“The Free Democrats had made him an offer to bring the coalition to an orderly end together and to quickly complete time-critical projects. However, he decided otherwise,” said Djir-Sarai. In the failed negotiations to rescue the traffic light coalition, Finance Minister and FDP leader Christian Lindner called for an orderly new election and Scholz fired him.
With a view to options for the FDP after the early federal election, Lindner wrote on Platform “Since fundamental reforms were not possible in this worsening economic crisis, I will say it very clearly: a traffic light coalition is out of the question.”
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
