The future German Chancellor, the social democrat Olaf Scholz, announced on Wednesday an agreement to form with the Greens and the Liberals the first post-Merkel government in the country, faced with a serious crisis with the resurgence of Covid-19.
Almost two months after the German legislative elections, marked by a historic collapse of the Chancellor’s conservative camp, Olaf Scholz is preparing to succeed him in early December with an unprecedented alliance with the Greens and the liberals of the FDP.
These three formations affirmed that they agreed on a coalition “contract” called “Daring for more progress. Alliance for freedom, justice and sustainability”, with big environmental proposals, such as advancing the end of the use of coal to 2030 , instead of 2038.
“The SPD, the Greens and the FDP agreed on a common coalition contract in the negotiations and on a new government alliance,” he said, promising a “peer-to-peer coalition.”
This political combination was never in power in the Germany after the Second World War.
“Strong Chancellor”
Olaf Scholz “will be a strong chancellor”, promised the FDP leader for his part, Christian Lindner.
The future head of government, 63 years old and who has yet to be sworn in by Bundestag deputies, promised that he would do everything possible to combat the new wave of Covid-19 that shakes the country, the worst since the beginning of the pandemic.
Among the announced measures, a sum of 1,000 million euros will be allocated to health personnel “particularly demanded” by the Covid-19 pandemic, Scholz said.
Germany also has to “study” a possible “extension” of the mandatory nature of the vaccines, in force in the army and soon in medical centers.
The formation of a government in Germany will reassure European countries, uneasy to see Germany with no one at the helm, at a time when the pandemic is resurfacing.
Another measure that the new coalition wants to implement, according to the government agreement, is to legalize cannabis, the sale of which in “authorized stores” will be reserved for use by “adults.”
“This will make it possible to control quality, prevent the circulation of contaminated substances and guarantee the protection of young people,” says the agreement, which details that “the social impact of the law” will be evaluated within four years.
In 2017, Germany had already given the green light to the use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes.
In addition, the new government wants to return “in 2023” to the rules of budgetary rigor, including the brake on indebtedness registered in the Constitution.
A woman in Foreign
Olaf Scholz has already taken his first steps on the international scene by accompanying Angela Merkel on the G20 summit last month in Roma.
For the first time in 16 years, the SPD, which won the legislative elections with 25.7% of the vote, will once again lead the government of the main European economy.
Result of the compromise between the three formations, the “coalition contract” defines all the economic, environmental and political reforms of the next government, whose composition will be revealed shortly.
Annalena Baerbock, 40, the environmentalists’ candidate, should take the lead in German diplomacy, in a government of parity between men and women, according to the press.
The Finance portfolio, one of the most important, would be for the leader of the FDP, Christian Lindner, defender of the orthodox line of public deficits.
The co-chair of the Greens, Robert Habeck, would take charge of a great Ministry of Climate, at a key moment in the fight against climate change, in a country that is among the most polluting in the world.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx