Profile of German Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz - day after government collapse

Record ID: 1854841

  • Title: Profile of German Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz - day after government collapse
  • Date: 7th November 2024
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (FILE - SEPTEMBER 12, 2021) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** SCHOLZ EATING CURRY SAUSAGE AFTER TV-DEBATE ASCHHEIM, GERMANY (FILE) (REUTERS) HEADQUARTERS OF INSOLVENT GERMAN PAYMENT PROCESSOR WIRECARD BERLIN, GERMANY (FILE - JULY 29, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SCHOLZ ARRIVING TO BE QUESTIONED OVER WIRECARD ACCOUNTING SCANDAL HAMBURG, GERMA
  • Embargoed: 21st November 2024 08:40
  • Keywords: coalition german chancellor olaf scholz traffic light coalition
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Europe,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA008736505112024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
    Germany's ruling coalition collapsed on Wednesday (November 06) as Chancellor Olaf Scholz sacked his finance minister and paved the way for a snap election, triggering political chaos in Europe's largest economy hours after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election.
    After sacking Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the Free Democrats (FDP) party, Scholz is expected to head a minority government with his Social Democrats and the Greens, the second-largest party. He would have to rely on cobbled-together parliamentary majorities to pass legislation and he plans to hold a parliamentary confidence vote in his government on Jan. 15, which could trigger snap elections by the end of March.
    Before becoming Chancellor, Scholz served as vice chancellor and finance minister in Angela Merkel's government. He is an experienced negotiator and veteran politician who as SPD party secretary general from 2002 until 2004 defended controversial labour market reforms and social welfare cuts under former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
    As labour minister from 2007-2009 in Merkel's first ruling coalition, Scholz pushed for a generous short-time work scheme, also known as Kurzarbeit, which helped to protect millions of workers from the outfall of the global financial crisis.
    On a European level, he worked closely together with France and convinced Merkel to support a debt-financed European Recovery Fund worth 800 billion euros to help EU member states hit the most by COVID.
    (Production: Ulrike Heil, Laura Urraca-Makuch)
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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