This article was originally published in English
The leaders of the government coalition failed to agree on the budget.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday that he was dismissing his Finance Minister Christian Lindner, which should bring an end to the three-party coalition in power.
Olaf Scholz announced the move at a news conference, after weeks of disputes between coalition partners over how to revive the country's ailing economy. He also said he would seek a vote of confidence on January 15.
“I feel obligated to take this action to prevent further damage to our country. We need an effective government that has the strength to make the necessary decisions for our country.”declared the German Chancellor.
Christian Lindner, leader of the liberal FDP party, had rejected any tax increases or changes to Germany's strict self-imposed debt limits. Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, for their part, want massive investments from the state and have rejected liberal proposals aimed at reducing social protection programs.
Olaf Scholz said about Christian Lindner that:“he has broken my trust too many times. He even unilaterally canceled the budget agreement, even though we had already agreed on this during long negotiations. There is no basis for trust for continued cooperation. Serious government work is not possible under these conditions.
This announcement should logically put an end to the so-called “traffic light” coalition, with the probable departure of the liberals. Elections could take place in March.
