The new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was sworn in. He will lead a three-party coalition government to replace Merkel, who has been in charge of Germany for 16 years.
The new German coalition government is composed of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SDP) led by Scholz, the Green Party and the Liberal Democratic Party.
The transfer of power in German politics also marked the end of Merkel’s 31-year political career.
Congratulations from all countries
Many national leaders, including Chinese leaders Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, congratulated Scholz on his appointment as German Chancellor.
During the past 16 years when Merkel was in power, Germany has always adhered to the principle of “maintaining contact” with China. Germany-China relations have not experienced a sharp drop in the temperature of relations between the United States and China, and other European countries and China.
The new German government is inaugurated, and Beijing said it hopes to push the relationship between the two sides to a “new level.”
Xi Jinping said that he attaches great importance to the development of Sino-German relations and “willing to work with you to take the opportunity of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year as an opportunity to consolidate and deepen political mutual trust, expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and promote Sino-German relations to a new level. “
Li Keqiang said, “China-Germany relations have become one of the most important bilateral relations in the world. I look forward to establishing and maintaining good working contacts with you, further consolidating political mutual trust, enriching the connotation of China-Germany all-round strategic partnership, and promoting China-Germany friendship and mutual benefit. Cooperate to create another success.”
The media also noticed that Xi Jinping sent congratulations on the day the new German Chancellor was sworn in. This is in sharp contrast to the treatment received by US President Biden.
French President Macron also stated as soon as he took office on December 8, “We will write a new chapter together, for the French, for the Germans, and for the Europeans.”
Russian President Putin said in a congratulatory message to Scholz, “I hope to have a constructive dialogue with you and cooperate on current bilateral issues and international agendas.”
Biography
Scholz is 63 years old and was born in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony in 1958. He grew up in Hamburg and studied law at the University of Hamburg.
Scholz joined the Social Democratic Party at the age of 17, and later became a lawyer specializing in labor and employment law, and was first elected to the Bundestag in 1998. He has served as the mayor of Hamburg and the minister of labor.
When the global financial crisis broke out in 2008, he managed to avoid large-scale layoffs in Germany and pushed forward reforms such as raising the retirement age.
After the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, as Minister of Finance, Scholz supervised the implementation of an emergency funding plan of 750 billion euros ($884 billion) formulated by the German government to help German companies and workers tide over the difficulties.
In the past three years, as Merkel’s deputy, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. When Merkel had to be quarantined due to the epidemic, he was responsible for presiding over the German cabinet meeting.
In the September 2021 German general election, the Social Democratic Party under his leadership became the largest party in the Bundestag with a small advantage of 206 votes.
During the German general election, he was asked many times whether he would run for the post of Chancellor. He always answered: The focus should be on how to work rather than on the vanity that titles bring.
In November 2021, the Social Democratic Party reached a three-party governance agreement with the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats, forming the first three-party alliance in power since the reunification of Germany.
The three-party ruling coalition has formulated an ambitious plan to combat climate change. It has decided to significantly advance the timetable for abandoning the use of coal from 2038 to 2030, and strive to produce 80% of German electricity from renewable energy by 2030.
But the top priority of the new government is to deal with the worsening new crown epidemic.
“Political veteran but not the second Merkel”
Katia Adler, BBC European Affairs Editor (Katya Adler)Analysis of:
“I said yes.” This is a short message sent by Scholz on Twitter shortly after he elected him as prime minister in the Bundestag.
But this is the moment that Scholz, as a professional politician, has been waiting for a long time. After Merkel was in power for 16 years, Germany finally sent away the old leader, but it was not a complete newcomer.
In Germany and the European Union, Scholz is a well-known and trusted figure. Although he is from the Social Democratic Party and Merkel is from the CDU, Scholz sells himself to voters as the second Merkel.
However, the transfer of power in Germany is not only about internal linking the past. As one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world, Germany’s allies and trading partners will pay close attention to this change of power.
The coalition government led by Scholz is a marriage of political convenience unprecedented in Germany. The three ruling parties in the coalition claim that the cohesion between them is that each party is determined to modernize Germany while maintaining precious social stability.
At the beginning of his tenure, Scholz faced three urgent problems:
- New coronavirus
- The threat of Russia’s possible invasion of Ukraine
- Seek a balance between politics and trade. Merkel has been accused of trade over politics. The Scholz government is expected to be tougher on Moscow and Beijing to a certain extent, although German companies may be economically hit.
In this way, the relationship between Germany and the United States may be improved. This is also the priority declared by Scholz’s newly formed ruling coalition in the joint ruling agreement.
Controversy and weakness
In the eyes of voters, as Merkel’s deputy, Scholz was her right-hand man in her last three years in power. Therefore, such a leader who can maintain policy continuity can win voters even more than Merkel’s designated successor. support.
He was widely praised for his performance in election debates, but when asked about his handling of two financial scandals during his leadership, he was the least emboldened.
The bankruptcy of payment company Wirecard is the biggest fraud scandal in modern Germany, and a report this year stated that Scholz was responsible for the negligence of regulators.
In addition, during his tenure as mayor of Hamburg, he has been criticized for the huge losses caused by the Cum-Ex stock dividend scam scandal.
However, neither incident has hurt his image among voters. Critics believe that these scandals are too complicated for voters to take care of.