Coalition - Lindner: Majority in place - no reason for a vote of confidence
Following the painstakingly resolved coalition dispute over the budget, FDP leader Christian Lindner has given the coalition government a guarantee of continuity - despite his party's pending member referendum on remaining in government.
"The 2024 budget is in place and the Chancellor must have no doubt about the majority for his government in parliament," the Federal Finance Minister told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. A question of confidence, as demanded by CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz, would only have to be asked by a chancellor if he was no longer sure of his majority. Merz's demand was "part of the usual opposition gymnastics".
The FDP member vote does not stress him, said the party leader. "Because it is an opportunity to make it clear that the FDP is helping to shape the direction of the government," he said. The other options - Lindner spoke of the CDU/CSU joining an SPD-led grand coalition or the SPD and Greens continuing as a minority government - were "certainly not the better alternatives for our country".
Kubicki: Resignation would be "proof of political weakness"
FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki called on party members to vote against an end to the traffic light system in the survey. "I expect that there will not be a majority in favor of leaving the government," he told the Stuttgarter Zeitung and Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspapers. "Because it should be clear to everyone that we can hardly go into an upcoming election campaign with the slogan: We have failed, vote for us anyway." In his view, "resigning from the government would be a sign of political weakness".
The FDP wants to organize the survey of all its members online. The result is considered to be a picture of the mood and can fuel the discussion within the party, but without having any immediate consequences. The federal constitution states: "The organs of the party are not bound by the results of the member survey in their decision-making."
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- The FDP, led by Christian Lindner, has assured the coalition government of its continuity, even amidst an upcoming party referendum on remaining in government.
- Following the resolution of the coalition dispute over the budget, Germany's budget for 2024 is secure, and the Chancellor now has a guaranteed majority in parliament.
- CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz called for a vote of confidence, but this is only necessary if a chancellor doubts their parliamentary majority, Merz's demand being labeled as "usual opposition gymnastics."
- Lindner is not worried about the FDP member vote, seeing it as an opportunity to demonstrate the party's role in shaping government direction.
- Should the FDP choose to leave the coalition government, according to Vice Wolfgang Kubicki, it would be a sign of political weakness and may not be well-received in the upcoming election campaign.
- Editorial network Germany reported that the FDP's party-wide member survey is not binding on its decision-making organs and serves primarily as a measure of member sentiment, influencing internal party discussions.
Source: www.stern.de
