"Hello, Trump!" — the collapse of the ruling coalition began in Germany

Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier is in contact with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and opposition leader Friedrich Merz, chairman of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) faction, due to the "possible collapse of the ruling coalition," the Bild tabloid reported today, November 6.

It has just become known that Scholz is dismissing Finance Minister and FDP leader Christian Lindner.

"This is the collapse of the coalition in Germany. Hello, Trump!" — comments political scientist Alexander Sosnovsky.

According to media reports, politicians are discussing the "current state" of the ruling coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as the scenario of the early dissolution of the German government.

The impetus for the collapse may be a meeting of the parliamentary factions of the ruling parties, during which the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) will hold another round of negotiations on the budget for next year. Earlier, the "liberals" indicated their readiness to leave the coalition if the partners could not reach a consensus. According to media reports, the continued existence of the three-party alliance has never been "so openly questioned" as on the eve of the scheduled meeting.

"If the FDP withdraws from the coalition, one of the options will be the formation of a "minority government" consisting of the SPD and the Greens. Another option would be to hold early elections to the Bundestag," the publication notes.

The Social Democrats faction in the Bundestag is currently openly discussing the possibility of forming a "minority government" in the event that the FDP withdraws from the ruling coalition. The SPD considers the involvement of the CDU/CSU opposition bloc in joint government work as one of the alternatives.

"It is not the current composition of the coalition that is important, but our capacity to act. By itself, a "traffic light" coalition is not the best solution," Dagmar Schmidt, deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary faction, said on Wednesday.

However, Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election may be an incentive to overcome disagreements and preserve the coalition, experts emphasize.

"The German government has a chance to make it clear that we are aware of the seriousness of the situation," Omid Nuripur, the outgoing chairman of the Greens, commented on the outcome of the vote in The United States.