In Germany, Social Democrat Olaf Scholz elected Chancellor

Olaf Scholz is the new German Chancellor. The Social Democrat was elected on Wednesday December 8 by the deputies, closing 16 years of government by Angela Merkel. Of the 736 elected members of the Bundestag from the ballot on 26th September, 395 voted for Olaf Scholz, 303 against and 6 abstained, allowing him to become the ninth chancellor of post-war Germany.

His election is not a surprise. His Social Democratic Party (SPD), which came out on top in the legislative elections, had a comfortable majority (206 seats), with its two new coalition partners, the Greens (118 seats) and the Liberals of the FDP (92). Present in the assembly to attend the election of her successor, Angela Merkel was applauded by the deputies, most of them standing, before the opening of the plenary session.

As Reporterre reported on November 25, the coalition pledged, once in power, to get out of coal " ideally in 2030 instead of 2038, an objective conditional on " security of supply "in energy is" guarantee " and the " social difficulties of workers of the mining sector are “ attenuated ".

Teaching my children how to recognize and harvest chicory on our Land. #lifestyle http://t.co/QNd2wOZT9u

— Sabrina S Tue Apr 08 07:12:52 +0000 2014

To compensate for the end of coal, the three parties have also ruled out reviving nuclear power, an energy deemed dangerous and expensive across the Rhine. The country's last nuclear power plants will close permanently next year, according to schedule. SPD, Greens and FDP prefer to bet on the solar/wind duo: by 2030, 80 % of electricity consumption should be covered by renewable energies, compared to 45 % in 2020. Germany's carbon neutrality target is now set for 2045, five years earlier than France and the European Union.

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