CNN —German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired his finance minister on Wednesday, leaving the government teetering on the brink of collapse.
In a televised address, Scholz said he had dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner saying it “was necessary to prevent harm to our country.”The firing came after days of political negotiation between Scholz, Lindner, and Robert Habeck of the Green party, who is both the vice-chancellor and the economics minister.
Scholz told the press conference Wednesday that “Lindner showed no willingness to implement any of our proposals” and, therefore, “there is no trust basis for any future cooperation” with the outgoing finance minister.
The Chancellor also accused the finance minister of being “not about serving the common good but about serving his own clientele and party.”According to Scholz, Lindner will also be dismissed by the country’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
“After the US elections we need to show we can be relied on,” Scholz said, adding that “great financial room for maneuver” is needed given the challenges that Germany faces.
Persons:
Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Christian Lindner, “, Lindner, Robert Habeck, “ Lindner, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, ” Scholz
Organizations:
CNN, Green
Locations:
Germany