Germany's Political Shake-Up: What Happened?

Germany's government has suddenly changed. The chancellor, Olaf Scholz, fired his finance minister, Christian Lindner, from the Free Democrats Party (FDP). This caused the FDP to leave the governing coalition. Now, Scholz is leading a minority government with the Green Party. He plans to call a confidence vote in January. If he loses, early elections could happen by March. This political crisis comes at a tough time. Just hours before, news broke that former US President Donald Trump might get a second term. This could cause more problems for Germany's economy and Europe's united front. Germany is known for its political stability. It usually shifts power between two main parties, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The last snap election was in 2005. After Angela Merkel, who led for 16 years, retired, the SPD formed a coalition with the FDP and the Greens, called the "traffic light" coalition. This was a mix of different political views. The coalition faced challenges from the start, like how to boost Germany's economy and deal with far-right parties. Things finally collapsed over budget and economic plans. Scholz wanted more investment, while Lindner wanted to control government borrowing. Scholz fired Lindner because he didn't agree with his plans. Lindner said Scholz wanted him to pause rules against excessive borrowing. Germany's economy, the largest in Europe, has struggled. It shrank last year for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic started. Germany faces many economic issues, like the energy crisis from Russia's war in Ukraine, high labor costs, and competition from China. Now, Scholz might need support from the CDU to pass laws. But the CDU leader wants a faster confidence vote. This political uncertainty could boost support for far-right parties.