Olaf Scholz
Germany's chancellor is impeached - new elections await
Alex Rodriguez
Updated 17.10 | Published 16.32
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is impeached after losing today's confidence vote - just as he wanted.
New elections are now expected in the country, and Scholz hopes to regain power.
- I want to continue giving everything for this country, says Olaf Scholz.
Already at the debate before the vote, Scholz announced that he was ready for a new election campaign, and to regain the Chancellor's post.
- I want to continue to give everything for this country, said Olaf Scholz according to Bild.
He went on to attack the CDU, the main opposition party, accusing them of prioritizing rich people with their policies.
- Not only those who earn 200,000 euros each year deserve respect, but also those who go to work with minimum wage, he said.
Scholz's statement was followed by an election promise to raise the minimum wage in Germany to 15 euros.
CDU party leader Friedrich Merz countered by highlighting the party's commitment to lower taxes and better conditions for pensioners.
The government collapsed
Today's vote of confidence in Olaf Scholz came about after a period of political strife in Germany, which culminated in November when the red-green liberal government collapsed.The trigger was the inability to agree on economic policy, which led to the departure of the finance minister and the liberal FDP leaving the government.
Olaf Scholz then initiated the vote of confidence, with the hope of being defeated - in order to take the country to a new election.
Scholz faces headwinds in the election campaign
Now it is becoming a reality, and the political chaos in Germany rolls on.With 207 yes votes, 394 no votes and 116 abstentions, it became clear that Scholz lacks confidence in parliament.
After Olaf Scholz was impeached on Monday, the country is set to be governed by a temporary transitional government until new elections are held on February 23 next year.
Then he hopes to win back power as chancellor, but it looks like it will be tough. His social democratic party, the SPD, is struggling against record low public opinion figures.
In the 2021 election, the SPD received 26 percent of the vote. That number has dropped sharply in recent years, to about 17 percent today, according to Politico.
At the same time, the opposition has gone in the opposite direction. The Christian Democratic CDU has increased from 24 percent in the election to 32 percent today. Even the far-right AfD has seen a rush in voter support, from 10 to today's 19 percent
FACTS
German "traffic light government"
Since the 2021 election, Germany has been governed by a coalition government with a majority in parliament, consisting of the Social Democrats (SPD), the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens.Because of the composition of the coalition, the government has been called the "traffic light government"; The Social Democrats (red), the Free Democratic Party (yellow) and the Greens (green).
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