As of: November 7th, 2024 3:21 p.m
The federal government is reorganizing itself: Federal President Steinmeier has fired three FDP ministers. Wissing remains as a non-party transport minister – and takes over the justice department. Agriculture Minister Özdemir is now also responsible for education.
After three difficult years, including the war in Ukraine, record inflation and recession, the first traffic light coalition in the federal government collapsed on Wednesday – almost a year before the regular election. According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a new election could take place by the end of March at the latest. The contours of the red-green minority government, which will remain in office until then, are already becoming apparent.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dismissed three of the four FDP ministers in the Scholz cabinet in the afternoon. He presented the discharge certificates to Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann and Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger at Bellevue Palace.
At the same time, Jörg Kukies received his certificate of appointment as the new Federal Minister of Finance. The former Goldman Sachs investment banker is a confidant of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and was most recently State Secretary in the Chancellery.
Wissing remains in office as a non-party
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing is the only previous FDP politician to remain in the cabinet. He left the FDP. Steinmeier appointed him the new Federal Minister of Justice. Wissing will retain his position as Minister of Transport. Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) takes over the Ministry of Education.
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr announced on Wednesday evening that all of his party’s ministers wanted to submit their resignations to the Federal President. The previous Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann and the previous Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger officially asked Chancellor Scholz for their dismissal this morning.
Buschmann and Stark-Watzinger have asked to be fired
In a statement, Buschmann wrote that the outgoing Federal Finance Minister and FDP leader Lindner had made suggestions within the federal government to lead Germany out of a difficult economic situation. “It is not clear to me why the Federal Chancellor rejected the orderly path to new elections and then himself canceled the coalition and sought new elections in completely unclear circumstances,” explained Buschmann. “I really enjoyed my job as Federal Minister of Justice,” wrote the FDP politician.
In a statement distributed in her role as Hessian FDP state chairwoman, Stark-Watzinger explained that “participation in government by the Free Democrats is never an end in itself. Our claim not to be subject to blackmail and the certainty of acting out of conviction for our country were at political turning points always a successful compass for us.”
Green and SPD ministers remain in office
The Greens want to remain in a government with the SPD until a possible new election. The SPD and Green ministers will therefore remain in office until new elections are held and a new coalition is formed.
According to the Green Vice Chancellor and Economics Minister Robert Habeck, the government is capable of acting. She could “continue her work well,” he said on Deutschlandfunk.
Red-green interim government
The federal cabinet after the FDP left
However, it is a serious problem that the government has not decided on a budget for the coming year. There was recently a gap in the draft budget of five to eight billion euros. “Of course it’s possible if you want to.” The government could have plugged this gap. In this respect, Scholz’s decision to dismiss Lindner was logical and consistent.
Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accused Lindner of no longer wanting to bear responsibility for Germany. But this is still necessary. “We’re doing it in a different way now,” she said in the ARD.
CDU leader Merz wants quick new elections
Opposition leader Friedrich Merz plays a special role. It is controversial whether Scholz should only ask the Bundestag for a vote of confidence in mid-January, as planned, which would then pave the way for a new election. CDU leader Merz said that if Scholz clears the way to a quick new election, the Union will examine which legislative projects it can support by then.
The question of trust should be asked immediately – “at the beginning of next week at the latest,” said Merz. The Federal President could then dissolve the Bundestag within 21 days. “We are of course ready to hold talks and of course ready to take responsibility for our country here too.” There is no reason to wait until spring to hold new elections.
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