German Social Democrat Olaf Scholz on Wednesday announced an agreement to take the head of the first post-Merkel government, with the Greens and the Liberals, an unprecedented coalition already facing its first crisis with the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Almost two months after the German legislative elections marked by a historic debacle for the conservative camp of the Chancellor, Olaf Scholz is preparing to succeed him with this heterogeneous alliance on paper.
These three parties, ranging from the left for the Greens, to the center-left for the Social Democrats and to the right with the Liberals, indicated that they had agreed on a coalition “contract” for the next four years. ‘after several weeks of negotiations.
It gives pride of place to the protection of the environment, with in particular an exit “ideally” from coal now scheduled for 2030, against 2038 previously.
“The traffic light is there,” Olaf Scholz told the press, referring to the name given to this coalition because of the political colors of the three parties (red, green and yellow).
Never has such a political combination been in power in post-war Germany.
Olaf Scholz “will be a strong chancellor,” promised FDP leader Christian Lindner.
In Washington, a spokesperson for US diplomacy said his country was “looking forward to working with the new German government on our goals of revitalizing the transatlantic partnership, strengthening cooperation with our allies in NATO and of renewed ambition in our relations with the European Union ”.
Health crisis
The new executive, which has yet to be confirmed in the Chamber of Deputies in early December before taking office, will however not be entitled to any respite. It must immediately deal with the health crisis which is hitting Europe’s largest economy hard.
“The situation is serious”, admitted Olaf Scholz, 63, while Germany fears a saturation of hospitals. A billion euros will also be released in favor of nursing staff and nursing assistants.
“We are going to take the government […] at a time when there is so much worry, fear and uncertainty “, underlined the co-president of the Greens Robert Habeck, promising that” everything necessary “will be done to break the most violent wave of contamination since l appearance of the virus in the country.
Germany will also “study” a possible “extension” of the vaccination obligation, in force in the army and soon in health establishments. On the other hand, the new coalition seems to immediately exclude any idea of national containment.
Among the flagship measures that the new team also wants to implement are the return to budgetary rigor from 2023, the legalization of cannabis and the increase, dear to the Social Democrats, of the minimum wage to 12 euros, against 9.6 currently. .
Quick tuning
Germany is thus turning the page on the Merkel years, which has only been managing current affairs for a month.
Already, the Greens are assured of access to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as to a “super ministry” of Climate and the Economy while the FDP, very orthodox on public accounts, will hold the portfolio of Finances.
The rapid conclusion of a government agreement should reassure other European countries, worried after the legislative elections to see Germany, an EU heavyweight, without a real captain on board.
And this, at a time when the Twenty-Seven are facing a new major crisis at their doorstep with the influx orchestrated by Belarus of thousands of migrants on the border with Poland.
Olaf Scholz, familiar with the mysteries of negotiation, has already taken his first steps on the international scene by accompanying Angela Merkel to the G20 summit last month in Rome.
For the first time in sixteen years, the SPD, which came first with 25.7% of the vote in the general election, will once again lead the government of Europe’s largest economy.
The result of a compromise, the “coalition contract” was finalized in record time: on the very evening of the elections, on September 26, Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals had expressed their desire to go quickly so as not to repeat the scenario of 2017, when Angela Merkel took more than five months to form her government, paralyzing Europe.
Unsuccessful candidate of environmentalists for the chancellery after a failed campaign, Annalena Baerbock, 40, is expected to take the head of German diplomacy.
The very important and prestigious Morocco Finance should meanwhile fall to the head of the FDP, Christian Lindner, 42, holding an orthodox line on public deficits.
Robert Habeck should, him, settle in a “super ministry” of the Climate and the Economy.