Edited by Daniele Biacchessi
Scholz disheartened. Germany is preparing for elections on February 23
As widely expected, the Bundestag has voted no confidence in Chancellor Olaf Scholz. 207 confirmed their confidence in the chancellor, 394 voted against, 116 abstained. The parliamentary debate in the plenary has already taken on the tone of a pre-election brawl. The Social Democratic leader Scholz accused his former Finance Minister, the liberal Christian Lindner, of sabotage, in turn defended by the opposition leader and leader of the Christian Democrats, Friedrich Merz who defined the outgoing chancellor’s European policy as “shameful”. Scholz’s objective was to cash in on the no-confidence vote and then ask the President of the Republic, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to call new elections to be held on 23 February 2025.
Scholz’s election campaign
“I will fight in the next election campaign to raise the minimum wage to 15 euros an hour,” promised German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking in the Bundestag. “Respect also means being able to live off your work. In the last legislature I promised to raise the minimum wage to 12 euros. I have kept this commitment. But in the current situation it would need to increase to at least 14,” explained Scholz. Then he outlined his economic policy. “Everyone recommends making public investments. Are they all wrong? If there is a country in the world that can afford to invest in the future, it is us,” added Scholz. The chancellor underlined that all the G7 have a debt of over 100% of GDP, while Germany is close to the 60% threshold”. Scholz then issued a warning: “doing politics is not a game and you need to have the necessary moral maturity to do it”.
Photo Credits: Fotogramma Agency
December 17, 2024
