German chancellor makes shock decision that ends three-party government
German government falls apart after chancellor Scholz removes finance minister from office. Early elections now likely as three-party alliance breaks down over economic policy differences
In a dramatic turn of events on nov 6th Olaf Scholz fired his finance minister which effectively ended Germanys three-party government. The chancellor dismissed Christian Lindner after failed talks about the countrys economic direction
The dismissal came after Lindner (who leads the pro-business Free Democrats) pushed for business-friendly changes:
- Corporate tax cuts
- Delay in climate goals
- Less business rules
- Changes to debt limits
Scholz explained his choice in harsh words: “My trust was broken by someone who put party interests first“. He plans a confidence vote next january which might lead to march elections (this would be the first early vote in decades)
The three-party setup – which started about 3 years ago – faced many problems from its beginning; russiaʼs attack on Ukraine changed their plans completely. The group had to deal with energy problems instead of doing their planned work on infrastructure and green projects
Robert Habeck the vice-Chancellor made a comment that showed his disappointment: “Its tragic that this happens when Europe needs to stay together“ The government which people called traffic-light coalition due to party colors became very un-popular with voters. Even though Scholz points to some good work with energy problems its clear the setup didnt work as planned
