German leading party excludes forming coalition with Scholz
Markus Soder, a co-leader of Germany’s conservative bloc, asserts that a partnership with the Social Democrats would only be feasible if Olaf Scholz is not involved. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Markus Soder, co-leader of the conservative bloc and leader of Bavaria’s Christian Social Union (CSU), has stated that the German conservatives would only consider forming a coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) if Chancellor Olaf Scholz were to resign. Soder emphasized that the CSU, which traditionally works in tandem with the larger Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is not looking at other parties for potential alliances.
Following the recent dismissal of Finance Minister Christian Lindner by Scholz—reportedly due to disagreements over next year’s budget—the Free Democratic Party (FDP) decided to exit the ruling three-way 'traffic-light' coalition, leading to its collapse.
Now managing a minority government, Scholz has announced plans for a vote of confidence in the Bundestag on January 15. Should he fail to gain adequate support, a snap election would be triggered for March 2025.
In a recent interview with Bild am Sonntag, Soder remarked that, in the view of CDU/CSU leadership, “the only realistic chance [for a coalition] is with the SPD without Olaf Scholz.” He further suggested that the chancellor “should do the country a great favor and go decently. This is his very last task.”
Soder characterized the breakdown of the traffic-light coalition as a “historic situation,” emphasizing that there will be “no artificial prolongation of the traffic-light projects that are doomed to failure anyway.”
He urged Scholz to act swiftly regarding the vote of confidence, arguing that delaying it until mid-January would be “unfitting for democracy” and detrimental to Germany.
According to Soder, the conservatives are focused on “putting this country back on track,” calling for an “economic and spiritual” renewal for Germany.
In a statement on the CDU’s website last Thursday, party leader Friedrich Merz—who is widely considered a strong contender for the chancellorship—also called for Scholz to arrange the vote of confidence sooner than mid-January, aiming to facilitate a snap election in early 2024.
Current opinion polls indicate that the CDU/CSU coalition is leading among all parties in Germany, with an approval rating of 33% as of early November. In contrast, Scholz's popularity has been declining steadily, with many Germans expressing dissatisfaction with his performance, leading some media outlets to label him the “most unpopular chancellor of all time.”
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
Following the recent dismissal of Finance Minister Christian Lindner by Scholz—reportedly due to disagreements over next year’s budget—the Free Democratic Party (FDP) decided to exit the ruling three-way 'traffic-light' coalition, leading to its collapse.
Now managing a minority government, Scholz has announced plans for a vote of confidence in the Bundestag on January 15. Should he fail to gain adequate support, a snap election would be triggered for March 2025.
In a recent interview with Bild am Sonntag, Soder remarked that, in the view of CDU/CSU leadership, “the only realistic chance [for a coalition] is with the SPD without Olaf Scholz.” He further suggested that the chancellor “should do the country a great favor and go decently. This is his very last task.”
Soder characterized the breakdown of the traffic-light coalition as a “historic situation,” emphasizing that there will be “no artificial prolongation of the traffic-light projects that are doomed to failure anyway.”
He urged Scholz to act swiftly regarding the vote of confidence, arguing that delaying it until mid-January would be “unfitting for democracy” and detrimental to Germany.
According to Soder, the conservatives are focused on “putting this country back on track,” calling for an “economic and spiritual” renewal for Germany.
In a statement on the CDU’s website last Thursday, party leader Friedrich Merz—who is widely considered a strong contender for the chancellorship—also called for Scholz to arrange the vote of confidence sooner than mid-January, aiming to facilitate a snap election in early 2024.
Current opinion polls indicate that the CDU/CSU coalition is leading among all parties in Germany, with an approval rating of 33% as of early November. In contrast, Scholz's popularity has been declining steadily, with many Germans expressing dissatisfaction with his performance, leading some media outlets to label him the “most unpopular chancellor of all time.”
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
