news
World news
Europe
New German government announced: Social Democrat Olaf Schultz replaces Merkel
The party, which won the majority of seats in the September parliamentary elections, will head a coalition with the Greens and the Free Democrats after 16 years of conservative rule.
Among other things, they will pledge to stop using coal by 2030
Tags
Germany
Olaf Schultz
News agencies
Wednesday, 24 November 2021, 12:27
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments
Live broadcast from the press conference (Photo: Reuters)
The Social Democratic Party of Germany and two other parties announced today (Wednesday) the formation of a new coalition, headed by Olaf Schultz, who will replace the outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The new coalition needs parliamentary approval, in which the three parties have a majority.
The three parties - the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Free Democrats - will form the first three-party coalition in Germany since the 1950s, and it will herald the end of the Conservatives' rule after Merkel's 16 years in office.
Incoming German Chancellor Olaf Schultz, today (Photo: Reuters)
Schultz and members of his party before his inauguration, today (Photo: Reuters)
The alliance - known as the "traffic light coalition" after the colors of the three parties - has committed to modernizing Europe's largest economy by upgrading its infrastructure and accelerating the fight against the climate crisis.
They have agreed to pledge to stop using coal by 2030 and generate electricity from gas by 2040. The
parties aim to have 80% of the country's electricity source in renewable energy by the beginning of the next decade.
They also agreed on the legalization of cannabis, which would include quality control and drug distribution.
Schultz presents a bouquet of flowers to Merkel before the cabinet meeting in Berlin today (Photo: AP)
Commentators predict that the parties will find it difficult to bridge the difficult ideological gaps between them - the Social Democrats and the Greens are on the left of the political map, while the Free Democrats hold conservative economic positions.
Internal paralysis could also affect the EU, which faces many threats, from the corona plague to the immigration crisis and the strengthening of anti-democratic forces on the continent.
However, the parties have already shattered predictions that talks could continue into next year or even fail, and they managed to reach an agreement two months after the September elections, which ended in unequivocal results.
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments
