Berlin.
In 2013, after four years in government, the FDP failed to re-enter the Bundestag. She wants to avoid that this time, according to Stephan Lamby.
If Stephan Lamby When he was asked at the end of 2021 whether he could imagine making a documentary about the new federal government made up of SPD, Greens and FDP, he thought about it for a long time.
Would that be exciting enough? What kind of pictures would there be when the corona pandemic was over and the traffic light coalition primarily dealt with the climate change would have to employ? And: is a chancellor like Olaf Scholz suitable for such a format?
There were a few questions, but Lamby finally agreed, and without knowing it, made one of the most important decisions of his life. Because meanwhile he has been working for more than a year on a documentary about a federal government in times of war, and is as close to Scholz, Robert Habeck and Christian Lindner as few other journalists.
Lamby: Scholz in an intermediate phase
“I was just traveling with Annalena Baerbock again,” says Lamby in this episode of “Scholz-Update“, and that he also met Olaf Scholz several times for talks and interviews. According to Lamby, the chancellor is in an intermediate phase, one could almost speak of a breathing space.
As far as the war in Ukraine is concerned, Germany has the most important decisions up to the delivery of main battle tanks met. Much more is not possible and Scholz does not want much more. “His government has spent much of the past year worrying about Vladimir Putin,” Lamby said.
“Now everyone has to wait and see how things are going in concrete terms on the battlefield in Ukraine. It is expected that the Russians will step up their offensive and that the Ukrainians will Gegenoffensive back out. The German government cannot do much at the moment, and that is why both the chancellor and his most important ministers are using the time to finally focus more on the issues covered in the coalition agreement.”
For example, the ban on gas and oil heating, which Economics Minister Robert Habeck wants to bring forward to 2024, partly because he knows that he has to show his supporters something before the next one comes in 2025 federal election pending.
Ukraine Crisis – The most important news about the war
Greens: Discussion about Chancellor candidate – Habeck and must convince base
In a year at the latest, the Greens would start discussing who will be next Chancellor candidate should be – and Habeck and Baerbock would already position themselves for that. Incidentally, just like Olaf Scholz, who has the advantage that he is a candidate for the SPD.
In order to be the Green Party’s candidate for chancellor this time, Habeck had to take care of the Party base care, “and it doesn’t help if you let nuclear power plants or coal power run longer.”
The goal must be to make decisions now that will lead to political successes in the next two years and on which one can then focus campaigneach for himself, can appeal: “The SPD and the Greens know that they have criminally neglected climate policy in the past year and that this cannot go well in the long term,” says Lamby.
“They now want and need to speed things up in this area, and in doing so they meet the FDP, which in turn must distinguish itself after the many defeats in state elections.” While for the Greens it is a question of whether they can chancellor candidates (Habeck?) may even be ahead of the SPD in the next election, the question of political survival arises for the liberals around Finance Minister Lindner, as was the case at the end of the coalition with Angela Merkel and the CDU.
Also read: Habeck and Özdemir in the rainforest – environmental groups worried
In 2013, after four years of government, the FDP failed to re-enter the Bundestag. “The FDP absolutely wants to avoid this fate this time,” says Lamby, adding that Olaf Scholz should also have an interest in the Liberals again discussing the five percent hurdle comes: “Because without the FDP, it could be very difficult for him to form a government again.”
The Scholz Podcast – all episodes
More articles from this category can be found here: Politics
