Merz demands a government statement from Scholz

Created: 04/23/2022, 13:50

Friedrich Merz speaks in the Castello at the CDU election campaign kick-off event.

© Roberto Pfeil/dpa

The CDU federal chairman Friedrich Merz has asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) for a government statement on his Russia course and arms deliveries to Ukraine in the Bundestag next week.

Scholz must say how he assesses the situation and should discuss the way with the opposition, said the Union parliamentary group leader on Saturday in Düsseldorf at the central election campaign start of the NRW-CDU for the state election.

Düsseldorf – If Scholz doesn't do that, the Union faction has prepared its application for arms deliveries in order to bring its ideas to parliament.

"We have an overwhelmed government," said Merz.

There is already a majority in the Bundestag with the CDU, FDP and Greens for the delivery of heavy weapons, said Merz.

The CDU and CSU, as the largest opposition factions, want to vote on the application as early as next week and hope for the approval of coalition politicians from the Greens and the FDP, who have spoken out in favor of arms deliveries.

"We don't want to present the government, we want to help our country," said Merz, also with a view to international criticism of the federal government's Ukraine course.

Merz sharply criticized FDP Federal Finance Minister Cristian Lindner.

The Union parliamentary group also wanted the Bundeswehr to be better equipped, said Merz.

The CDU and CSU are open to the 100 billion euro special fund planned by the traffic light to upgrade the Bundeswehr.

But that is nothing more than 100 billion euros in new debt.

He was amazed how an FDP finance minister "builds up one deficit after the other and incurs the highest debts that have ever existed in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany," said Merz.

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"I expect more from a finance minister than just opening the coffers, constantly incurring new debts and paying for every problem with money." everything else goes on as before”.

Chancellor Scholz had initially rejected the delivery of heavy weapons from the stocks of the Bundeswehr.

Instead, the federal government wants to finance arms deliveries from the industry and support donations from alliance partners with replacement services, training or ammunition.

dpa