Steinmeier recognizes Merkel’s chancellorship as “one of the great ones in history”
“The debate about the seating arrangement is completely absurd”
“If a man becomes party leader now, we can cope with it,” says the deputy union leader Nadine Schön about the state of the party. Schön describes the debate about the seating arrangements in the Bundestag as “completely absurd”.
The term of office of the Chancellor officially ends with the constituent session of Parliament. Federal President Steinmeier presented her certificate of discharge with emotional words. However, until a new chancellor is elected, Merkel will continue to run the business.
B.and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has asked Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) to continue government affairs until a new Chancellor is elected. The Office of the Federal President announced this on Tuesday. This step is common when a new head of government has not yet been elected when a new Bundestag meets.
From a purely legal point of view, the managing government can act like a normal one. So it can introduce laws or even a new budget in the Bundestag. However, it no longer has a coalition in the Bundestag behind it that would adopt these drafts.
The ministers also retain their powers. You can issue legal ordinances and administrative regulations. Traditionally, however, the executive federal government is exercising restraint so as not to restrict the future cabinet’s room for maneuver.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (from left), Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the former President of the Bundestag Rita Süssmuth (CDU) watch the constituent meeting…g of the new Bundestag from the gallery of honor
Source: dpa / Michael Kappeler
Steinmeier presented Merkel and the ministers with the discharge certificates late on Tuesday afternoon.
“With the constitution of the new, 20th German Bundestag, your office ends in accordance with Article 69, Paragraph 2 of the Basic Law,” said Steinmeier, thereby formally dismissing him. The Federal President expressed respect and appreciation for the outgoing government. He particularly praised Merkel’s 16-year-old chancellorship as “one of the great ones in history”.
“To say that the past legislature was ‘challenging’ does not even come close to the tasks that had to be mastered,” said the Federal President. Above all, the corona pandemic made enormous demands on the rulers. Another challenge was the growing polarization in society.
With regard to Merkel, Steinmeier said that her reign was “formative for our reunited country and for the image of our country in the world” and also “formative for a whole generation of young women and men for whom they have a new, very special form of leadership exemplified “. At the same time, it was a time “that was not exactly poor in crises and upheavals”.
How things will go on for the Merkel government
The Merkel government will continue to carry out official business until the new cabinet has been appointed and sworn in. According to the current planning of the SPD, Greens and FDP, this should happen in the week from December 6th. That means Germany is expected to have a caretaker government for around six weeks.
However, some things are no longer possible: The Executive Chancellor cannot ask a question of confidence. A vote of no confidence by the newly elected Bundestag against a managing chancellor is also excluded. The executive head of government is also no longer allowed to exchange ministers.
In general, the greatest possible political restraint applies to a managing government. There is consensus that she should no longer make decisions that bind a successor government. This also applies to foreign policy.
Source: dpa / Bernd Von Jutrczenka
However, Chancellor Merkel still has two important foreign policy deadlines ahead of her. On Saturday, she will travel to the G20 summit in Rome, which will focus on climate protection, fighting pandemics and cushioning the economic consequences of corona. Merkel (CDU), however, has her finance minister and likely successor Olaf Scholz (SPD) with her as a “watchdog”.
At the beginning of next week, Merkel will speak for three minutes at the World Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. There she will not say anything that is not in agreement with the three parties that are currently negotiating a coalition agreement.