Germany's Scholz says he is ready to hold confidence vote this year

NEWS WIRES
·1-min read
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a press conference following the European informal meeting of heads of state or government in Budapest, Hungary, on November 8, 2024.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that he would be ready to call a vote of confidence in parliament before Christmas, a move that would pave the way for snap elections following the collapse of his governing coalition last week.

Germany’s embattled Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday he would be ready to ask for a confidence vote this year to pave the way for snap elections.

Scholz, whose coalition collapsed on Wednesday, said in a TV interview that “for me it would not be a problem” to ask for the parliamentary vote before Christmas, if major parties agree. Previously, he had spoken of a mid-January vote and a late-March election.

“I also want that it happens quickly,” the centre-left leader said, referring to a return to the ballot boxes, in an interview on public broadcaster ARD.

The coalition crisis, rooted in differences over economic and fiscal policy, came to a head late Wednesday when Scholz sacked his rebellious finance minister Christian Lindner of the Free Democrats.

That reduced the unruly three-party coalition government to two parties—Scholz’s Social Democrats and the Greens.

Scholz’s political rivals have threatened to block his minority government from passing laws unless he immediately seeks a confidence vote.

(AFP)


Read more on FRANCE 24 English

Read also:
German opposition demands confidence vote next week as Scholz's coalition crumbles
German Chancellor Scholz fires his finance minister as coalition falls apart
Germany's ruling coalition collapses over economic issues after finance minister sacked

Latest stories

  • Kepong MP questions Muhyiddin’s call for new body to champion Bumiputera rights

    KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 –– Member of Parliament for Kepong, Lim Lip Eng, has criticised Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia party...

  • US faces ‘dire threat’ over Ukraine deal, Nato boss warns Trump

    The US would face a “dire threat” from China, Iran and North Korea if Ukraine is forced into concessions to end its war with Russia, Nato’s secretary-general has warned Donald Trump.

  • China bans export of critical minerals to US as trade tensions escalate

    China on Tuesday banned exports to the United States of the critical minerals gallium, germanium and antimony that have widespread military applications, escalating trade tensions the day after Washington's latest crackdown on China's chip sector. The curbs strengthen enforcement of existing limits on critical minerals exports that Beijing began rolling out last year, but apply only to the U.S. market, in the latest escalation of trade tensions between the world's two largest economies ahead of President-elect Donald Trump taking office next month.

  • Biden pardons son Hunter ahead of sentencing: statement

    US President Joe Biden on Sunday issued an official pardon for his son Hunter, who is facing sentencing for two criminal cases related to tax evasion and the purchase of a firearm.The White House press secretary said as recently as September that Biden wouldn't issue a pardon for Hunter.

  • Starmer warns Trump: Britain will not side with US against EU

    Sir Keir Starmer warned Donald Trump on Monday night that he would not side with America against the EU, despite calls from the president-elect’s allies to choose between Brussels and Washington.

  • Ceasefire 'victory' looks bleak as Hezbollah bodies exhumed from makeshift mass graves

    In scrubland on the outskirts of Tyre, southern Lebanon, they started digging out the bodies - 186 of them. One family of women, mothers and daughters all dressed in black, fell on the coffin of their brother, their son, stroking it, sweeping the dust off, wailing. A makeshift mass grave, the corpses were mainly those of Hezbollah fighters.

  • Explainer-After China's mineral export ban, how else could it respond to U.S. chip curbs?

    BEIJING (Reuters) -China has banned exports to the U.S. of some goods containing critical minerals while tightening exports on others, after U.S. curbs a day earlier on the Chinese chip industry. Following is background on export controls and other steps that analysts say Chinese authorities might take to safeguard China and its companies' interests. On Dec. 3 China banned exports to the U.S. of items related to gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials, the latest escalation of trade tensions between the countries ahead of President-elect Donald Trump taking office.

  • How China will make or break Trump’s bromance with Elon Musk

    Dozens of yellow and red robotic arms move swiftly and silently as they assemble the latest range of Tesla electric cars.

  • National Security Expert Reveals What’s So Concerning About Trump’s FBI Director Pick

    David Rohde described the “fear” over Trump choosing Kash Patel to lead the agency.

  • Latest US clampdown on China's chips hits semiconductor toolmakers

    (Reuters) -The United States on Monday launched its third crackdown in three years on China's semiconductor industry, curbing exports to 140 companies, including chip equipment maker Naura Technology Group, among other moves. The effort to hobble Beijing's chipmaking ambitions also hits Chinese chip toolmakers Piotech, ACM Research and SiCarrier Technology with new export restrictions as part of the package, which also takes aim at shipments of advanced memory chips and more chipmaking tools to China.

  • South Korea president to lift martial law order after parliament voted to block it

    Yoon Suk Yeol's decision comes after parliament voted to block the order, with the speaker of the National Assembly, Woo Won Shik, declaring it "invalid" and saying politicians would "protect democracy with the people". The president had said in a TV address on Tuesday night he was putting the military in temporary charge to defend the constitutional order and "eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces".

  • Trump says will 'block' Nippon Steel from taking over US Steel

    US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday said he would "block" a planned takeover of US Steel by Japanese company Nippon Steel, a deal worth $14.9 billion including debts.Days after the US election last month, Nippon Steel said it expected to close its takeover of the company before the end of the year, while US President Joe Biden was still in office.

  • Israeli leaders applaud Trump pledge on hostages, Gazans fear the worst

    Israeli leaders hailed on Tuesday a pledge by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that there would be "hell to pay" in the Middle East unless hostages held in the Gaza Strip were released ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration. The reaction in Gaza was less enthusiastic. Writing on Truth Social, and without naming any group, Trump said the hostages had to be freed by the time he was sworn in.

  • Philippines' Marcos says presence of Russian submarine 'very worrisome'

    MANILA (Reuters) -President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday the presence of a Russian attack submarine in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea was "very worrisome". A Russian Kilo-class submarine was sighted 80 nautical miles off the western province of Occidental Mindoro on Nov. 28, Navy spokesperson Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a statement on Monday, confirming a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper.

  • China's Xi vows to deepen infrastructure cooperation with Nepal: state media

    President Xi Jinping on Tuesday told Nepali Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli that China will offer more support to develop the country's infrastructure, Chinese state media reported.Nepali media reported that Oli likely chose Beijing as his first destination due to the absence of a formal invitation from New Delhi.

  • Zelenskyy says Russia is treating the first North Korean soldiers well, but it won't last

    Russia is treating North Korean troops well right now, Ukraine's Zelenskyy said, as it wants more to come fight, but they will become "cannon fodder."

  • Iranian militias enter Syria to help Assad fight off rebels

    Iran has sent militia groups into Syria to prop up Bashar al-Assad, as China also gave its backing to the regime.

  • Trudeau told Trump Americans would also suffer if tariffs are imposed, a Canadian minister says

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Donald Trump that Americans would also suffer if the president-elect follows through on a plan to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a Canadian minister who attended their recent dinner said Monday. Trump threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if they don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders with the United States.

  • Russian drones attack critical infrastructure in Ukraine's west, air force says

    The attack left part of the city of Ternopil without electricity, its mayor said, a week after Moscow's strikes cut power to much of the city and its surrounding region. Russia mounted two big attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in November, triggering power cuts across the country in the build-up to winter.

  • China condemns Lithuania's expulsion of its diplomats

    China on Monday condemned Lithuania’s expulsion of three Chinese diplomats as relations between the two countries continue to sour. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused Lithuania of expelling its diplomats and declaring them persona non grata “without any reason,” according to a statement posted on the ministry’s website. “China strongly condemns and firmly rejects this wanton and provocative action,” the spokesperson said.