Live blog
General debate in the Bundestag
Merz attacks SPD: “You are a party of subsidized unemployment”
Opposition leader Friedrich Merz (r.) and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (m.)
© Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP
Exchange of blows in the Bundestag: Will Chancellor Scholz manage to reverse the trend despite lousy surveys and constant traffic light trouble? How does CDU leader Friedrich Merz present himself as a potential candidate for chancellor? And what signal are the government and opposition sending to the hundreds of thousands who recently took to the streets for democracy? The general debate in the Bundestag could shed light on this. The most important events in star-Live blog.
It is one of the highlights of budget week in the Bundestag: the so-called general debate. The MPs only formally discuss the relatively small budget of the Chancellery, but traditionally the debate is used to fundamentally discuss the government’s work. It is not uncommon for sparks to fly between the coalition and opposition factions. And today?
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) as well as Union parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) and other top politicians from the parliamentary groups will speak in the general debate (from 12 p.m.). Also on the agenda are the individual plans of the Foreign Office and the Federal Ministries of Defense and Development Aid. The final discussion on the budget for 2024 began on Tuesday. The budget is scheduled to be passed on Friday. The budget is expected to be finally discussed in the Federal Council on the same day.
Now live: The general debate in the Bundestag
Scholz begins with the secret meeting in Potsdam, which was uncovered by the Correctiv portal and which AfD politicians also took part in: “This is reminiscent of the darkest times in history.” It’s not just about a word. What is meant is the term “remigration”.
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Benedict Becker
Now the Chancellor speaks. Olaf Scholz also gets involved with “Correctiv” research into secret meetings of right-wing extremists.
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Nico Fried
… at least for his attack on the AfD. The parliamentary group leaders of the Greens and the chairman of the FDP parliamentary group clap. Only in the SPD there is no hand.
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Florian Schillat
Scholz, Schmidt and Pistorius put the heads together, especially the Chancellor’s head of the Chancellor gestures wildly. Merz probably triggered something among his comrades. Does a certain reaction, a clearing or correction of the Chancellor are needed? Schmidt writes something on a piece of paper, taps the Chancellor on the back, hands the paper – and gets it back from Scholz. He’s already doing it.
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Merz alternates between traffic lights and the AfD. To the latter: “They are not the alternative for Germany. They would be the final relegation for Germany – especially morally.”
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Benedict Becker
Why?
Well, normally the Bundestag approves the budget in December of the previous year. This time, however, the Federal Constitutional Court’s budget ruling thwarted the plans: in the short term, billions in holes had to be plugged in the core budget and in the climate and transformation fund. The SPD, Greens and FDP ran for austerity measures for weeks, only shortly before Christmas there was an agreement – and only in mid -January the decisive meeting in the Bundestag’s budget committee. Therefore, only now is a budget week with the general debate today and the final vote in the plenary on Friday.
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Merz accuses the traffic light of failing “in the refugee crisis”. The SPD and the Greens would hinder the introduction of a payment card, even though experience in the municipalities had shown that this would lead to many people leaving Germany again.
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Benedict Becker
At Merz, the culprits are quickly found: the traffic lights. His call to the government: “The solution to the problem is that you solve the problems of this country.”
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Merz mentions the demonstrations against right-wing extremism. Unrest in the AfD. Merz: “I can very well understand that you are nervous about this.”
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Nico Fried
Olaf Scholz in the chancellor’s chair. Friedrich Merz is speaking in front of him, Boris Pistorius is sitting diagonally behind him. Will one of them soon be in Scholz’s place?
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Florian Schillat
When Merz repeatedly emphasizes that he is not in favor of weakening the debt brake, Finance Minister Lindner throws his hands in the air in disbelief and shakes his head: It’s not up for serious discussion anyway, that’s what that means. At least not with him.
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Benedict Becker
“I am again ruling out my group’s approval of a weakening of the debt brake from this point today.”
Instead, government spending priorities would have to be reorganized.
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Nico Fried
The Chancellor now shifts back and forth in his Chancellor’s chair. Vice Chancellor Habeck and Finance Minister Lindner are already engrossed in their cell phones. Foreign Minister Baerbock too.
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Benedict Becker
“If the jacket is unbuttoned incorrectly from the bottom, then we don’t discuss how big the button at the top should be.“
Friedrich Merz
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Benedict Becker
Laughter from the SPD, Greens and FDP.
What is already noticeable: Merz is first trying the content. Direct attacks against the Chancellor? None so far. Is a candidate for chancellor testing the first chapters of his election program here?
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