The traffic light is history: After throwing out the FDP, Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to continue with a minority government until the vote of confidence in January. He announced this in Berlin that evening. It is slowly becoming clearer how this will be staffed.
Jörg Kukies: Scholz’s top advisor takes over the Ministry of Finance
First of all, this results from the representation regulations that were determined by the traffic light leaders at the end of 2021. Accordingly, Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) would actually take over the Finance Ministry for FDP leader Christian Lindner, who was fired by Scholz. SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch immediately denied this. “Robert Habeck will not take over the Ministry of Finance,” he said in the ARD morning magazine. “There will be another minister.” It is now clear who that will be: Jörg Kukies, one of Olaf Scholz’s most important advisors.
He will have to worry about what happens next with the supplementary budget for 2024 and the budget for 2025 – a difficult task without a majority. In addition, a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court on the solos is due next week. If this had to be abolished immediately, the budget gap would continue to grow.
What would happen to the other three FDP ministers was initially not clear after the statements from the traffic light leaders. Scholz only fired Lindner. There can be two reasons for this: Either he wanted to drive a final wedge into the FDP because, for example, Transport Minister Volker Wissing is considered more of an advocate for the continuation of the traffic lights. However, the Chancellor wanted to get rid of Lindner immediately, whom Scholz identified as the ultimate troublemaker. Or Scholz sticks to the custom that the respective party leaders decide on their cabinet staff.
It was then up to Lindner to withdraw his ministers or have them resign. According to FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr, that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday evening.
Greens suddenly become stronger in the coalition through representation rules
But there is one spectacular exception: Transport Minister Volker Wissing is leaving the FDP and remaining in office. He recently wrote down a plea for the continued existence of the traffic light in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”.
It is still unclear whether the other ministries that were referred will be filled. According to the replacement rules, Lisa Paus (Greens) would step in for the Minister of Education and Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger, and manage another house in addition to her family department. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) will replace Justice Minister Marco Buschmann.
Swiss
