The German Labour-ACT-Greens coalition has ended
Euro News reports:
The ruling German coalition has collapsed: Chancellor Olaf Scholz, of the Social Democrats (SPD) has sacked Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the Liberals (FDP).
The leaders of what is known in Germany as the “traffic light coalition” – SPD, FDP and the Greens – had gathered at the chancellery in Berlin in the evening.
About an hour after the news was broken by several media outlets, Chancellor Scholz faced the press and criticised his finance minister in no uncertain terms:
Lindner “has broken my trust too many times”, Scholz said, adding that there is “no more basis of trust for further cooperation”. The FDP leader is “more concerned with his own clientele and the survival of his own party”, Scholz remarked.
The Finance Minister was simply insisting that the Government stick to its agreed spending and tax rules, but the two left wing parties wanted to try spending their way out of trouble.
The Chancellor has an approval rating of just 18%. Compare that to Angela Merkel who had a median rating of 76% during her 16 years in office. Government approval is 14% vs 85% disapproval.
The current polling has the parties as:
- SPD (centre left) 16% (-10% from election)
- CDU (centre right) 33% (+14%)
- AFD (far right) 18% (+8%)
- Greens (centre left) 11% (-4%)
- FDP (centre right) 4% (-7%)
- Linke (left) 3% (-2%)
So when they have elections next year, a CDU/CSU led Government is very likely. However they will not want to go into coalition with the AFD, so will either need to do a grand coalition of possibly even a government with the Greens.