Germany: Will the weak government coalition survive?

2024-01-04 09:10:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Germany: Will the weak government coalition survive?

Illustrative photo

He has been in the ranks of the German Liberal Party (FDP) for months. The smaller coalition partner in the German government suffered a series of setbacks in regional and state elections in 2022 and 2023. And local politicians blame federal politics for this. According to surveys, three quarters of Germans are dissatisfied with the work of the government coalition of the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the FDP.

The liberal party FDP even organized a survey among its members, during which about 48 percent expressed their support for the swift departure of this party from the government coalition, which does not enjoy sympathy among the population.

Big disappointment

2024 could be the most difficult year for the German tripartite government. On June 9, the elections for the European Parliament take place, while in September, the elections for the state parliaments in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg take place. Local elections are also held in nine of the 16 federal states.

In Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg, the strongest force is considered the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which the Office for Constitutional Protection classifies in part as far-right. It seems that only the Christian-Democratic party CDU has a chance there. Whereas the SPD, the Greens and the FDP have dramatically lost the confidence of the voters. In Saxony, a poll was published at the beginning of the year according to which the SPD and the FDP would not be able to get the necessary votes to enter the state parliament, while the Greens could barely win the necessary minimum.

According to polls, the government coalition currently enjoys the support of only 33 percent of voters, from 52 percent in the 2021 parliamentary elections.

Olaf Scholz, the chancellor devoid of emotion and charisma

Many people are unhappy, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) declared in his New Year's speech. "I take this seriously." But the world is changing "at breakneck speed" and so Germany must too, he said.

But is it really the changes they are facing that make people unhappy, or is it the way the government is reacting to the many crises? The war of Russian aggression against Ukraine, which was followed by an energy crisis, skyrocketing prices, the collapse of the German economy. Many citizens no longer believe that the government is able to cope with the problems.

Also, the chancellor should not have passed without noticing that he is also doing worse and worse in the polls. This is also due to his communication and management style. The 65-year-old lawyer, Scholz, fails to explain his politics and win people over.

Fear unites us

The disagreements between the parties of the government coalition do not seem to end during 2024. Although the chancellor will talk once again with the Minister of Finance, Christian Lindner (FDP), to give up this year the inhibition to take on debts new, if it turns out that the military and financial support for Ukraine is not enough, this does not mean that the FDP will agree.

However, the leaders of all three parties avoid ending the coalition more than anything else. If there are new elections, there is a risk that the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the Liberals (FDP) will lose government power and many parliamentarians will have to give up their mandates in the Bundestag. Therefore, at the level of officials, almost everyone wants to continue the coalition, which is de facto shattered. The fear of political collapse is almost the only thing that still holds together the SPD, the Greens and the FDP./ DW