Scholz speaks in Bundestag for first time since traffic lights went out

German Chancellor Olaf Schulz (SPD) has defended the sacking of Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and the consequent withdrawal from the Bundestag's traffic light coalition. “This decision is correct and inevitable,” he said in a government statement.

He welcomed the current agreement on a new election date of February 23. He was “very grateful” for it. He called on the Christian Democrats to work together to pass important laws before the Bundestag is dissolved. «Let us act in unison where we agree. This is good for our country. ” he said. These were the other most important points of the day.

Scholz lays out a range of possible solutions

Specifically, Scholz mentioned relief from the so-called “cold progression” of income taxes, which should take effect on January 1, 2025. It is also important to adopt as many government program initiatives as possible quickly to boost growth. Child benefit should also be increased in early 2025. The prime minister also mentioned amending the Basic Law to strengthen the federal constitution and fend off possible political influence.

Definitely not for Taurus

Scholz once again defended his position on the conflict in Ukraine and reiterated that Ukraine would not receive any Taurus missiles with a range of 500 kilometers for use in its defense war against Ukraine. “I will not change my position on Germany's delivery of cruise missiles.”

Söder enters Bundestag for the first time

CSU leader Markus Söder will also speak for the first time as Bavarian Prime Minister and a member of the Federal Council during a planned two-hour debate on the government's statement on the “coronavirus situation.” Party leader and prime minister-designated candidate Alice Weidel delivered a speech on behalf of the Alternative for Africa party.

Colorado State University President Marcus Soder.Image: trapezoid

Habeck absent from debate

Only the Greens could not send their would-be prime ministerial candidate to the debate. Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Green Party) missed the government statement due to a breakdown in the Portuguese government plane. Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock will now speak in his stead, according to Green Group. Also on the list of speakers is former Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), who was fired by Scholz.

Robert Habeck was reluctantly unable to attend.Image: trapezoid

Dirty 'traffic light' divorce ends

The debate ended the messy divorce of the “traffic light” coalition (SPD, FDP, Greens) after nearly three years of a marriage of convenience. Scholz fired the finance minister a week ago after a bitter dispute over economic and financial policy, leading to the end of the tripartite alliance. He now leads a minority government of the Social Democrats and the Greens and hopes to hold a vote of confidence in the Bundestag on December 16. If, as expected, he does not win a majority, new elections will be held on February 23. By then, there were 102 days left in the campaign. The government announcement is basically what started it all.

Starting point of the campaign: CDU/CSU clearly ahead

This seems to be a clear issue for the EU. Its approval rating in polls has remained at or above 30 percent for a year. The Social Democrats, the strongest government party, are currently in third place with a margin of 16 to 18 percentage points, even behind the right-wing populist Alternative for Africa party.

But be warned: Things are no different ahead of the 2021 election. Two and a half months before the election date, Scholz and the SPD were trailing the CDU/CSU by a whopping 16 percentage points. On September 26, the Social Democratic Party finally defeated the Federal Party by 25.7% to 24.1%. Scholz became the “Traffic Light” principal.

With the story of victory in 2021, the SPD is now motivating itself – and hoping Merz doesn’t make a mistake. What about everyone else? As things stand, the Greens are expected to get 11% to 12% of the vote. The FDP is breaching the 5% threshold in opinion polls, while the left is significantly below it. The Sahra Wagenknecht coalition (BSW) is expected to enter the Bundestag with a current support rating of 5% to 9%, while the AfD is in second place with a support rating of 15% to 19.5%.

Friedrich Merz, leader of the Alliance parliamentary group.Image: trapezoid

For the first time there are four candidates for prime minister

For the first time, there will be four candidates for prime minister in the election campaign. The CDU and CSU took the lead in taking the decision with Bundestag group leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) and surprisingly quietly. The Greens hope to elect Economy Minister Robert Habeck as their candidate for prime minister at a party conference this weekend. The AfD board hopes to field party leader Alice Weidel in the December 7 election.

But as far as current Chancellor Scholz is concerned, it is unclear when he will be officially allowed to call himself a candidate for prime minister. The party leadership assured that he would do so without question. However, the board decided not to formally nominate him at its first meeting after the traffic lights went out on Monday, allowing the debate within the party over whether he is a suitable candidate to continue.

Pistorius as Scholz replacement candidate?

There is a promising alternative: Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has been undisputedly number one on the list of the most popular German politicians for several months. Many in the party see him as the only chance to catch up with the CDU/CSU. So far, only a few people in the third and fourth rows dare to say so.

Boris Pistorius – could he be a candidate for chancellor soon?Image: trapezoid

But even the fiercely loyal faction leader Rolf Mutzenich noticed the unrest and spoke about it. “Yes, there are rumors. Of course there are also these voices.” On Tuesday night, Mutzenic told DTV 2's “Haupt Magazine” about the doubts about Scholz. Ultimately, he added, the party knows it can only win if it works together. When asked if this would happen with Olaf Scholz, Mutzenich replied: “I firmly believe it.” (DAB/Sudan Development Authority/DPA)

A man called 911 to report a suspected bear attack. He died soon after.

A man contacted authorities in Tennessee (USA) via an emergency phone number under the name Brandon Andrade. The man said he fell off a cliff after being attacked by a bear on October 18, CNN reported.