AP
An ambitious but unsuccessful politician replaces the «offended liver sausage»
After the collapse of the «traffic light» coalition, incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz is tied hand and foot. His plans to announce a knowingly failed vote of confidence in his minority government in the Bundestag after the Christmas and New Year’s holidays (January 15) and to call early parliamentary elections at the end of March were decisively blocked by the leader of the opposition Christian Democrats, Friedrich Merz. He demanded that the «burial procedures» be completed by the end of the year and that German citizens be called to the polls in the second half of January. There’s no need to prolong the agony. If Scholz resists, he says, the CDU/CSU faction will block any legislative initiatives by the cabinet chief.
Scholz felt backed into a corner and declared that he would not cling to power.
Last week, the leaders of the ruling SPD and the center-right CDU/CSU bloc agreed on a date. The Greens, who remain loyal to the truncated «traffic light» coalition, also joined the agreement. However, they were not invited to the consultations of the main players. The proposal was supported by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
So the early vote to form a new Bundestag will take place on February 23rd. It turns out that Scholz backed down and Merz made some concessions. If only these figures knew that they ironically scheduled the elections for the day when Russia celebrates Defender of the Fatherland Day. But that’s just by the way…
In particular, heated debates on organizational issues began immediately. It is clear that in such a short time it will be difficult for the parties competing for parliamentary seats to conduct a quality election campaign. But that’s not the point.
Everyone was amused by the head of the Federal Election Commission, Social Democrat Ruth Brand. She noted that accelerated preparations could be hampered by… a shortage of paper. «In our time, it is indeed a great challenge to procure paper and fulfill printing orders (for ballots)», the official wrote in a special message to the authorities.
The opposition immediately accused Scholz of pressuring his party colleague, whom he allegedly urged to throw a wrench into the democratic process.
The liberals, who left the «traffic light» coalition, called on citizens to organize paper collections, saying the authorities were not up to the task.
And the mischievous Poles offered to help with paper and printers. Not for free, of course.
By the way, the CDU’s candidate for chancellor, Merz, jumped into the fray immediately after the announcement. And he acted boldly. He essentially issued an ultimatum, declaring that, if elected, he would demand that Russia cease its military actions in Ukraine within 24 hours; otherwise, Germany would transfer long-range Taurus missiles to the Ukrainian armed forces and lift restrictions on their use against targets on Russian territory. Merz also promised to hold a telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin on the matter. However, he hedged his bets by emphasizing that this would happen «when the opportunity arises and a consensus on strikes deep into Russia is reached among European and transatlantic partners».
In general, Merz has decided to position himself as a more radical figure than the «offended liver sausage» Scholz. For example, he has verbally supported the idea of sending NATO troops to Ukraine. Such rhetoric, he believes, should appeal to voters. Here he is mistaken: Germans do not want a continuation of the war, but a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian crisis.
It should be noted that politician Merz is not particularly loved by German citizens. He is no different from the equally unpopular Scholz. He has acquired the reputation of a loser. In 1994, he received a mandate as a member of the Bundestag, and four years later he became the deputy of Wolfgang Schäuble, the leader of the parliamentary group, and in 2000 he even took his place. However, he never held a position in the government, which is why experts consider him too inexperienced for the chancellorship. In 2002, after the conservative defeat in the elections, he was sidelined by Angela Merkel, who led the opposition faction and three years later became the head of the federal government. Their conflict intensified as «Mommy» tried to move the CDU to the left, while Merz advocated a conservative course. But Merkel had all the levers to suppress Friedrich. In 2007, he refused to run in the federal elections, and in 2009, he left politics altogether for business-and he succeeded. Rumor has it that he even has a private plane. In 2018, he tried to run for the party leadership, but lost to Merkel’s protégé, then defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. Two years later, he repeated the attempt, but lost to regional politician Armin Laschet. Only in December 2021, after the defeat of the conservative bloc in the elections, he finally achieved his goal by leading the CDU. At the banquet on this occasion, Merz invited Merkel and Kramp-Karrenbauer, but both declined.
Yes, there is another important detail that may explain the sharp anti-Russian outburst of the not-yet-elected Merz. The fact is that until recently he was inclined to cooperate with overseas Democrats and repeatedly criticized Donald Trump. And it is known that the 47th president of the USA is vindictive. So Merz, it seems, does not intend to fall on his knees (immediately) before him, but to join French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who believe that they can pursue an independent European policy.
This is, of course, an illusion.