The same day that donald trump won an election in the United States for the second timethe German Government, the main driving force of the EU, was collapsing. The fall of the coalition led by the social democrats Olaf Scholz causes a uncertainty stage with the world on fire with the community bloc lacking leadership and with progressive forces sinking throughout the globe while those on the extreme right are going through their best moment since the Second World War.
The two headlines left by Wednesday’s day – Trump’s victory and the breakup of the Scholz Government – are bad news for the EU. The Republican, who during his first Presidency referred to Europeans as “enemies”, faces starting in January a second term with more powerbetter knowledge of the system and a backpack of accumulated revenge. In the EU they are willing to give it a chance, trusting in good transatlantic cooperation, a scenario that does not seem likely. The message of the Europeans in the face of the winds that blow on the other side of the ocean pivots on a call for unity and the strengthening of the bloc. But when they had not yet uttered these words, the Government of their first power was blown up.
The German chancellor struck down his finance minister, Christian Lindnerby irreconcilable differences over budgets and public spending. It was, however, the chronicle of an announced divorce. The honeymoon of the traffic light coalition made up of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals was short-lived. Their discrepancies have multiplied over the years. And now what? Scholz’s intention was to present a motion of confidence in mid-January, but there is increasing pressure on the opposition to go ahead with the electionssomething that has only happened twice in the last 75 years. The next elections should be held in September of next year but all roads lead to progress.
During this time of uncertainty, Scholz will lack a majority in Parliament to approve new rulesso a period of legislative blockage is anticipated and marked by an electoral atmosphere and tension. The polls position the Christian Democrat Friedrich Merz as the winner of the elections. As already happened in the last Brandenburg elections, the forecasts point to a collapse of social democracywhich competes with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) for second place.
The plummet of social democracy in the United States and Germany is further proof of a trend that has been consolidating for some time. In recent years, progressive bastions such as the Nordic paradise or neighboring Portugal have fallen, which have moved to the right. With the fall of Germany, The EU would only have four of the 27 governments in the hands of the socialists: Spain, Malta, Denmark and Romania. In parallel, populist forces are increasingly stronger, forming part of governments in the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia and Italy. The new European Commission, which should begin rolling out at the end of this year, will for the first time have a vice presidency in the hands of the extreme right.
With a battered economy that has been in technical recession for months and a powerful productive fabric that is suffocating, the return of the conservatives would translate into greater austerity and a cut in social spending. A position that will also have an impact on the community block. The 27 will have to negotiate the new European budgets in the coming years.
Furthermore, the collapse of the German Government can be interpreted by a society increasingly disenchanted with the political class as a sign of weakness or ineffectiveness, which could translate into a support for eurosceptic and populist forces and in greater citizen polarization. In Germany, in fact, the extreme right of Alternative for Germany and the populist left of Sahra Wagenknecht They have experienced a meteoric rise in recent months.
The German locomotive is a mirror of the crisis that social democratic forces are going through in Europe and around the globe. They are unable to present alternatives and connect with their voterswho increasingly perceive them as just another part of the elites. The coalition led by Scholz has allowed itself to be carried away by the pressure of its opponents and the rise of the AfD and has made controversial decisions such as imposing controls along all its borders, speeding up the expulsion of irregular migrants and toughening the discourse against migrants. refugees. While the United States has closed ranks and sent endless weapons to Israel, which is committing genocide in Gaza.
#German #Government #collapses #shakes #European #left #crisis
