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Skybird · 12-08-21, 12:11 PM

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes:

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For the first time in 16 years, Germany is being ruled by a Social Democrat. With 395 of 707 votes cast, the Bundestag elected Olaf Scholz as the new Chancellor on Wednesday. As expected, Scholz made it smoothly in the first ballot, even if he received 21 fewer votes than the new government coalition of the SPD, Greens and Free Democrats has MPs.

The 63-year-old is the ninth Chancellor of the Federal Republic and, after Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt and Gerhard Schröder, the fourth SPD politician in this office. After his election, he and the ministers of his cabinet were appointed and sworn in.

Scholz ’predecessor Angela Merkel received a standing ovation from the MPs; only the representatives of the right-wing alternative for Germany demonstratively remained seated. The resigning Chancellor followed the election in the visitors' gallery. Those MPs who were not vaccinated against the coronavirus sat on another platform. They also had their own voting booth.

In the short term, dealing with the unvaccinated is arguably the biggest challenge the new government faces. Scholz is in favor of a general compulsory vaccination and expects that this will be introduced in February or March, the Greens see it similarly, and the FDP leader Christian Lindner has meanwhile also swung into this line, for which he was scolded as a "faller" .

The current infection process can be traced back to the unvaccinated, Scholz had declared shortly before his election as Chancellor and in this context also contradicted the frequently expressed thesis that German society was divided on this issue. In fact, according to surveys, a clear majority supports the introduction of a general compulsory vaccination for adults. Nevertheless, the government could soon be faced with the question of how to deal with a vocal minority, which is likely to become even more radicalized, should vaccination actually occur.

A coalition of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP is a novelty in Germany at the federal level; their creation is a consequence of the new, more confusing majority relationships. All three ruling parties are trying to dispel the impression that it could be an alliance of convenience: They emphasize that they want to govern together for more than just four years. This is remarkable, at least in the case of the FDP, as the Union has so far been seen as the political force that is programmatically closest to the Liberals.

In fact, it could prove difficult for Scholz to hold the alliance together for even one legislative period. Conflicts threaten to break out, especially in social and financial policy: Projects such as citizens' benefits, basic child benefits or the construction of 100,000 state-subsidized apartments per year will cost money; at the same time, the liberal finance minister Christian Lindner will endeavor to be the guardian of budget discipline.

There could also be frictions in foreign policy: the Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stands for a tougher course towards Russia and China, while a more yielding stance is widespread among Social Democrats, but also in the FDP. On the day of Scholz's election, there was a first clash about foreign policy: This is controlled “especially in the Chancellery”, said the SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich; a Green MP wanted to see a degradation of the foreign office in it.

Further handling of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is supposed to bring Russian gas to Western Europe bypassing Ukraine, could prove to be a touchstone for the new government; Baerbock is against putting the line into operation, the SPD is for it. How Berlin will position itself on this issue in the future is likely to have an impact on its relationship with the USA - and with Germany's Eastern European neighbors.

The tense relations between Germany and Poland are unlikely to improve in the foreseeable future anyway, because in the dispute between Warsaw and Brussels over Poland's handling of EU law, Baerbock will hardly appear more indulgent than her social-democratic predecessor Heiko Maas. The fact that Berlin is now expressly aiming to create a European federal state should not only meet with reservations in countries such as Poland and Hungary.

The first tests at the ballot boxes are due for the new German government in the spring: A new state parliament will be elected in Saarland in March, followed in May by Schleswig-Holstein and the most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In Germany, regional elections are always viewed as a plebiscite about federal politics. Should one or more coalition parties be punished by the voters, Scholz could face stormy times.
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12-08-21, 12:11 PM	#1481
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,504 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	The Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes: ------------------------ For the first time in 16 years, Germany is being ruled by a Social Democrat. With 395 of 707 votes cast, the Bundestag elected Olaf Scholz as the new Chancellor on Wednesday. As expected, Scholz made it smoothly in the first ballot, even if he received 21 fewer votes than the new government coalition of the SPD, Greens and Free Democrats has MPs. The 63-year-old is the ninth Chancellor of the Federal Republic and, after Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt and Gerhard Schröder, the fourth SPD politician in this office. After his election, he and the ministers of his cabinet were appointed and sworn in. Scholz ’predecessor Angela Merkel received a standing ovation from the MPs; only the representatives of the right-wing alternative for Germany demonstratively remained seated. The resigning Chancellor followed the election in the visitors' gallery. Those MPs who were not vaccinated against the coronavirus sat on another platform. They also had their own voting booth. In the short term, dealing with the unvaccinated is arguably the biggest challenge the new government faces. Scholz is in favor of a general compulsory vaccination and expects that this will be introduced in February or March, the Greens see it similarly, and the FDP leader Christian Lindner has meanwhile also swung into this line, for which he was scolded as a "faller" . The current infection process can be traced back to the unvaccinated, Scholz had declared shortly before his election as Chancellor and in this context also contradicted the frequently expressed thesis that German society was divided on this issue. In fact, according to surveys, a clear majority supports the introduction of a general compulsory vaccination for adults. Nevertheless, the government could soon be faced with the question of how to deal with a vocal minority, which is likely to become even more radicalized, should vaccination actually occur. A coalition of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP is a novelty in Germany at the federal level; their creation is a consequence of the new, more confusing majority relationships. All three ruling parties are trying to dispel the impression that it could be an alliance of convenience: They emphasize that they want to govern together for more than just four years. This is remarkable, at least in the case of the FDP, as the Union has so far been seen as the political force that is programmatically closest to the Liberals. In fact, it could prove difficult for Scholz to hold the alliance together for even one legislative period. Conflicts threaten to break out, especially in social and financial policy: Projects such as citizens' benefits, basic child benefits or the construction of 100,000 state-subsidized apartments per year will cost money; at the same time, the liberal finance minister Christian Lindner will endeavor to be the guardian of budget discipline. There could also be frictions in foreign policy: the Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stands for a tougher course towards Russia and China, while a more yielding stance is widespread among Social Democrats, but also in the FDP. On the day of Scholz's election, there was a first clash about foreign policy: This is controlled “especially in the Chancellery”, said the SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich; a Green MP wanted to see a degradation of the foreign office in it. Further handling of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is supposed to bring Russian gas to Western Europe bypassing Ukraine, could prove to be a touchstone for the new government; Baerbock is against putting the line into operation, the SPD is for it. How Berlin will position itself on this issue in the future is likely to have an impact on its relationship with the USA - and with Germany's Eastern European neighbors. The tense relations between Germany and Poland are unlikely to improve in the foreseeable future anyway, because in the dispute between Warsaw and Brussels over Poland's handling of EU law, Baerbock will hardly appear more indulgent than her social-democratic predecessor Heiko Maas. The fact that Berlin is now expressly aiming to create a European federal state should not only meet with reservations in countries such as Poland and Hungary. The first tests at the ballot boxes are due for the new German government in the spring: A new state parliament will be elected in Saarland in March, followed in May by Schleswig-Holstein and the most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In Germany, regional elections are always viewed as a plebiscite about federal politics. Should one or more coalition parties be punished by the voters, Scholz could face stormy times. ------------------------------ __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.