“I am the chancellor” – Scholz appeals to traffic light partners
Published: Monday, Nov 4th 2024, 18:50
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Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed the expectation that the ailing "traffic light" coalition will continue its work. The government has been elected, is in office and will carry out its tasks, said the SPD politician in Berlin on the fringes of a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in response to questions from journalists.
Scholz had previously met with Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) at the Chancellery. The meeting marked the start of a series of top-level meetings in the coming days to clarify whether and how the ailing coalition can find common ground again in view of economic and financial policy. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil spoke of a "week of decisions".
Scholz demands serious work from coalition
Scholz said: "I am the chancellor. It's about overcoming the challenges we face in serious times. It's about the economy and jobs. It's about pragmatism and not ideology." He spoke of tasks that need to be solved "and to do this, you have to work seriously. That is what I expect from everyone."
Greens: We don't want the break - "just do our job"
Green Party leader Omid Nouripour also called on the traffic light partners to persevere. "We don't want a break. We also assume that others will be faithful to the agreement and that we will complete the work we are doing here together," he said in Berlin. Habeck said: "This is the worst possible time for the government to fail." During a visit to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) appealed to the coalition to "perhaps all pull ourselves together a little, just do our job" in the spirit of international responsibility. Following a meeting of his party's top committees, FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai made it clear that the focus was now on achieving results by the time the coalition committee of the traffic light alliance meets on Wednesday evening.
Coalition partners discuss in several rounds
The coalition is initially trying to resolve its differences in smaller rounds. According to government circles, a three-way meeting with Scholz, Lindner and Habeck is also scheduled for Tuesday. On Wednesday, a larger coalition committee will meet, which will also include the party and parliamentary group leaders of the SPD, Greens and FDP.
The dispute between the government partners centers on economic policy and the federal budget for the coming year. If the SPD, Greens and FDP do not manage to agree on a common approach, the coalition, which has been in power for three years, could come to a premature end and the country would face an early general election.
Picture of disagreement: Separate summits and papers
At the end of last week, the dispute in the traffic light party over the right measures in the face of the economic downturn and priorities for government spending came to a head. In a policy paper, Lindner called for a reorientation of economic and financial policy. Prior to this, the coalition partners had already presented a picture of disagreement when business representatives were invited to separate summits with Chancellor Scholz and the FDP side with Lindner, while Economics Minister Habeck also presented his own proposals for improving the situation in an impulse paper.
The series of separate summits with business representatives continued on Monday. After the talks with Scholz and Habeck, Lindner went to the Bundestag for an FDP meeting with around 20 representatives of business associations. "Results must now be delivered," said FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr afterwards. When asked how crucial the coalition committee was, he said: "I am not guided by deadlines, I am guided by results."
Opposition sees traffic lights at the end
The opposition's reactions to the coalition's situation are unanimous: "The coalition must now take responsibility for state policy, namely to end the matter," said CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann after meetings of the CDU's top committees in Berlin. Germany needed a fresh start. A new election must be held as soon as possible. CSU General Secretary Martin Huber called on Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to intervene: "It is high time that the Federal President made it clear to the squabblers that it is time for new elections."
AfD leader Alice Weidel wrote on X: "Germany does not need a coalition that deals with itself in therapy sessions, but a government that stops the economic crash of our country!" BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht told "Welt": "The week of decisions should be the week of divorce for the traffic light. A fourth year of traffic light would mean irreversible upheaval for the economy and destroy millions of people's prosperity." The co-chair of the Left Party, Ines Schwerdtner, criticized Scholz. He was now quoting Finance Minister Lindner like a principal in order to "make some form of cooperation in this coalition possible" with admonishing words.
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