The German right-wing opposition party Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) has called for immediate voting in Germany, after Chancellor Scholz announced his intention to vote with confidence on January 15. The vice president of the party Alice Weidel declared that “placing the vote only on January 15th is irresponsible”. After an extraordinary meeting of the AfD parliamentary group in Berlin, Weidel said the Scholz government “must pave the way for new elections and a vote of confidence immediately”, proposing an AfD, FDP and CDU alliance.
Vice President of Alternative for Germany (AfD) Alice Weidel, Berlin, 23 September 2024 (Handle)
Even the president of the CDU, Friedrich Merz, in the approximately 25 minute conversation he had today 7 November at 12.30 with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, urged the head of government to raise the question of confidence in the Bundestag as early as the end of next week in order to be able to to call the elections for January 2025. But Scholz wants to keep the date of January 15th to place the vote of confidence, using the transition phase towards that date to seek shared solutions with the CDU.
Friedrich Merz. President of the CDU, goes to meeting with Olaf Scholz 07/11/2024 (Handle)
Meanwhile, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, after appointing Jörg Kukies, former head of the investment bank Goldmann Sachs in Germany, as the new Finance Minister in place of Christian Lindner, leader of the FDP liberals, dismissed yesterday by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz , appointed Volker Wissing, former Transport Minister who left the FDP, as the new interim Minister of Justice, replacing Marco Buschmann, also an FDP. The newspaper Bild reports it. The third liberal minister dismissed by President Steinmeier is Bettina Stark-Watzinger who held the Ministry of Education. In his place comes the green Cem Oezdemir from the agriculture ministry.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (right) stands next to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz at Bellevue Palace, 7 November 2024 (Reuters)
Due to the government crisis, Chancellor Scholz has canceled his participation in the COP29 in Baku on climate change, scheduled for next Monday. The chancellor was due to attend on 11 and 12 November. Representatives of 200 countries are expected in Baku at the UN international conference who will discuss the funds to be allocated to the poorest countries to facilitate their ecological transition. It is still not clear who will replace Scholz but the “Friday for Future” movement is the first to criticize the decision, which is considered “the worst signal that Germany could give to the international community at the moment”.
