Germany’s Scholz Dismisses Coalition Partner’s Leader
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner in response to an economic policy crisis and increasing demands for early elections. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The government coalition has experienced tensions regarding economic policy in recent months.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner, as confirmed by government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on Wednesday evening. Lindner, who leads the business-friendly Free Democratic Party, has been in disagreement with other coalition members over economic matters.
This week, the three coalition partners – Scholz’s Social Democrats, Lindner’s FDP, and the Greens, represented by Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock – were scheduled to hold a series of discussions to address their differences.
During the negotiations, Lindner noted that there was insufficient common ground among the coalition partners on economic and financial policies, according to German media citing participants of the meetings. He then suggested early elections at the beginning of 2025 to enable the government to “regain stability” and enhance its ability to “act quickly,” as reported.
According to media sources, the leaders of the three coalition parties convened for two and a half hours to explore solutions for addressing the multibillion-euro deficit in the upcoming year’s budget and to stimulate the sluggish economy.
As per German broadcaster ARD, Scholz intends to request a vote of confidence in his government in the Bundestag, possibly taking place in mid-January, which could “open the way” for early elections in March.
However, reports from Die Zeit indicate that the chancellor has outright rejected Lindner’s proposal for early elections.
Thus far, the government has not revealed its final budget draft for 2025. The current budget reflects a deficit of “several billion euros,” as previously reported by German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle. The legislature’s Budget Committee is set to review the final draft on November 14, with the expectation that the budget must be approved by parliament by the end of the month.
Die Zeit further states that it is “absolutely unclear” whether there will even be a federal budget for 2025 and how the government plans to navigate forward. Earlier reporting from DW suggested that Scholz could lead a minority government consisting solely of his Social Democratic Party and the Greens, which would necessitate seeking situational coalitions in parliament each time a majority of lawmakers is needed for an initiative.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner, as confirmed by government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on Wednesday evening. Lindner, who leads the business-friendly Free Democratic Party, has been in disagreement with other coalition members over economic matters.
This week, the three coalition partners – Scholz’s Social Democrats, Lindner’s FDP, and the Greens, represented by Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock – were scheduled to hold a series of discussions to address their differences.
During the negotiations, Lindner noted that there was insufficient common ground among the coalition partners on economic and financial policies, according to German media citing participants of the meetings. He then suggested early elections at the beginning of 2025 to enable the government to “regain stability” and enhance its ability to “act quickly,” as reported.
According to media sources, the leaders of the three coalition parties convened for two and a half hours to explore solutions for addressing the multibillion-euro deficit in the upcoming year’s budget and to stimulate the sluggish economy.
As per German broadcaster ARD, Scholz intends to request a vote of confidence in his government in the Bundestag, possibly taking place in mid-January, which could “open the way” for early elections in March.
However, reports from Die Zeit indicate that the chancellor has outright rejected Lindner’s proposal for early elections.
Thus far, the government has not revealed its final budget draft for 2025. The current budget reflects a deficit of “several billion euros,” as previously reported by German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle. The legislature’s Budget Committee is set to review the final draft on November 14, with the expectation that the budget must be approved by parliament by the end of the month.
Die Zeit further states that it is “absolutely unclear” whether there will even be a federal budget for 2025 and how the government plans to navigate forward. Earlier reporting from DW suggested that Scholz could lead a minority government consisting solely of his Social Democratic Party and the Greens, which would necessitate seeking situational coalitions in parliament each time a majority of lawmakers is needed for an initiative.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
