German government falls apart: Finance minister exit leads to early elections
German coalition breaks down after Chancellor Scholz removes Finance Minister from office. Economy Minister backs the decision as budget disagreements lead to government collapse and upcoming re-election
In a sudden turn of events yesterday the German three-party coalition fell apart when Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner (who couldnt handle budget planning tasks and lost other ministers trust)
The Economy Minister Robert Habeck spoke on Deutschlandfunk radio today supporting the chancellors move: “This was a logical step that had to be done at this moment; we dont have parliament majority now but the country can still work“
The breakdown happened due to long-standing issues between Scholzs Social Democrats and other parties — mainly about money-related choices and economic direction. Now Germany (Europes biggest economy) needs to prepare for snap-elections in the near future
When asked about temporary taking over the finance minister role Habeck made it clear: he wont do it. The situation comes at a complex time for German politics — right after major changes in US leadership happened
