Scholz will take over as German Chancellor, ending Merkel’s term

By Michael Nienaber

BERLIN (Reuters) – Social Democrat Olaf Scholz was sworn in as Germany’s chancellor on Wednesday, ending 16-year-old Conservative rule Angela Merkel and paving the way for her coalition government, which has pledged to promote green investment and strengthen the European Union.

Scholz, 63, served in Merkel’s coalition as vice chancellor and finance minister for the past four years, gaining a majority of 395 votes in the parliamentary chamber of parliament, Baerbel Bas Bundestag chairman said.

Wearing a black face mask, Scholz nodded as he received a thunderous round of applause from lawmakers and accepted a bouquet of flowers and an apple basket from the main members of parliament.

After the formal appointment of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the nearby Bellevue Palace, Scholz returned to the historic Reichstag building in the heart of the German capital to take the oath of office and become the ninth German chancellor. World War II.

Scholz vowed to direct his efforts to the welfare of the German people, but he did not ask for God’s help, a phrase that is often included in the cinema of the charge, and what Merkel said.

Returning to Bellevue Palace, the ministers of the new cabinet received certificates of appointment of the president.

In the afternoon, Merkel officially handed over the chancellorship to Scholz and wished her a “firm hand” as the country faces a fourth wild wave of coronavirus infections and the challenges of the democratic order of authoritarian leaders.

In a short speech, Scholz praised Merkel as a great chancellor and thanked her for her close and trusting relationship in recent years.

“I would like to build on the mentality of Northeastern Germany, if I may say so, what has prevailed here so far. It won’t change much in that regard,” Scholz said, referring to the northern roots of the port city. Hamburg.

With his groundbreaking and senseless demeanor, Scholz has positioned Merkel as his own successor and a safe pair of hands to face the challenges of tackling the climate crisis, as Russia faces a increasingly conflicted and growing China.

Scholz will lead an unprecedented three-tier coalition at the federal level, with spending, Green environmentalists, and the more fiscally conservative and libertarian Free Democrats (FDP), with hardly any political bedfellows in the past.

Scholz is an experienced veteran negotiator and politician who, from 2002 to 2004, served as secretary general of the SPD party, advocating for controversial labor reforms and social welfare cuts under former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

As Merkel’s first coalition labor minister from 2007-2009, Scholz pushed for a generous short-term scheme that helped millions of workers protect themselves from the effects of the financial crisis.

After serving as mayor of Hamburg from 2011-2018, Scholz returned to Berlin as Merkel’s finance minister – a task that removed the goal of a balanced budget and allowed a new loan record to protect companies and employees from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

At European level, it worked closely with France and convinced Merkel to support a European Stimulus Fund financed by a debt worth 800 billion euros ($ 900 billion) to help EU member states hit hard by COVID-19.

Merkel, 67, a fan of opera and mountaineering in her past 16 years, has given little clue as to what she plans to do in retirement.

($ 1 = $ 0.8861)