Green party co-leader: Traffic light conflict like bar brawl
The household dispute can put an end to the traffic light coalition, the government does not present a too pleasant image even in retrospect. Green co-leader Nouripour makes it clear how he perceives the quarrel.
The prolonged dispute in the traffic light coalition harms the coalition's reputation in the view of Green leader Omid Nouripour. "We are a government that delivers a lot. But we don't look like a united community, but like a barroom brawl. And that's just off-putting," the co-party chair told "Spiegel".
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Economics Minister Robert Habeck, and Finance Minister Christian Lindner had resolved the long-standing budget dispute a week ago and agreed on key points for the federal budget 2025. Not everyone is satisfied with this, however. For example, there were sharp words from Defense Minister Boris Pistorius towards Lindner, who showed little understanding for the criticism.
The project of the child allowance also caused disagreements. Lindner had long doubted the concept of Family Minister Lisa Paus, who in turn voted against the passage of Lindner's "Growth Chance Act". The law was eventually passed, but Paus' idea of a new authority for the child allowance was not. The cabinet is scheduled to approve the budget draft on Wednesday. The budget will be finally negotiated and passed in parliament.
At the federal election in 2025, a Green could also emerge as the new federal chancellor: "Everything is in it," said Nouripour. The Greens are polling between 11 and 13 percent in the Bundestag election surveys. In 2021, they came to 14.7 percent with chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock. The current Foreign Minister Baerbock said on Wednesday that she would not seek another chancellor candidacy. "We will decide on that when the time comes," said Nouripour. Vice-Chancellor and Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck, who has openly expressed his ambitions so far, is considered a contender.
The Green co-leader Omid Nouripour expresses concern over the divisive nature of the traffic light coalition, likening it to a "barroom brawl" in public perception. The Alliance 90/The Greens, along with FDP, are prominent members of the Traffic Coalition, and Nouripour's comments underscore the potential impact of internal disagreements on its political image.
