Germany swears in new Chancellor Olaf Scholz
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New German Chancellor Scholz Makes European Debut
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday heads to Paris and EU and NATO headquarters, with Russia tensions and climate in the spotlight for his first foreign trip since he took office this week. Germany’s new leader has pledged continuity with his predecessor Angela Merkel, who stepped down Wednesday after 16 years in power. Scholz took…
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel Bows Out After 16 Years
Merkel’s near-record tenure is ending at age 67 after becoming Germany’s first female chancellor in 2005. Angela Merkel was assured of a place in the history books as soon as she became Germany’s first female chancellor on Nov. 22, 2005. Over the next 16 years, she was credited with raising Germany’s profile and influence, working…
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Olaf Scholz prepares to mandate COVID-19 vaccination as Germany’s fourth wave deepens
Sitting alone in a blacked-out studio, a somber soundtrack lending gravitas to his five-minute monologue, Olaf Scholz implored the people of Germany to get real and get vaccinated. A full year after the first COVID-19 shots were administered and the world hoped to turn the corner on the pandemic, Germany finds itself overwhelmed by a…
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Germany finally has a government ready to lead Europe
The ‘Merkel brake’ that held up progress on the rule of law is now finally off. Guy Verhofstadt is a member of the European Parliament. He is the former leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and a former prime minister of Belgium. Europe is born from crisis situations, or so the…
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Germany’s incoming vice-chancellor calls for ‘lockdown of the unvaccinated’
(Bloomberg) — Germany’s incoming vice chancellor threw his weight behind harsher curbs on unvaccinated people, as tougher restrictions sweep across Europe to check the latest surge in COVID-19 infections. Ahead of talks between German federal and regional officials on Tuesday, Robert Habeck, a co-leader of the Greens, said only people who are inoculated or recovered…
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German coalition talks: Where Brits see a crisis, Germans find unity
Getty Images In 2010, the UK general election ended in a hung parliament. The news sparked a frenzy. For the first time since the 1970s, no party had enough seats to form a majority government. After a week of media speculation and intense talks between the major parties, Prime Minister Gordon Brown stepped down and…
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Germany’s left-wing socialists — leading election voter polls — are ready for power, former leader says
One of the big surprises in the run-up to the German federal election later this month has been the sharp increase in support for the Social Democratic Party. The SPD is now a firm contender to lead the next coalition government in the country. The center-left party is already a part of the incumbent coalition…
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German lockdown: Merkel announces tough new COVID curbs
Chancellor Angela Merkel has said stores, schools, and daycare centers will close in the run-up to Christmas. The new rules agreed with Germany’s 16 state leaders, will come into effect from Wednesday. Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that most stores in Germany will shut from Wednesday, along with schools and daycare centers. The new restrictions…
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Germany: Angela Merkel’s party to decide her successor in January
There are three contenders for leadership of Angela Merkel’s center-right CDU party. The winner will be decided in mid-January. The next leader of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will be decided in mid-January, the party announced on Saturday. The three candidates — Friedrich Merz, Armin Laschet and Norbert Röttgen — agreed to the…