More than half of German citizens are in favor of holding early elections as soon as possible after the collapse of the ruling coalition on Wednesday, according to the results of a survey conducted by the INSA research institute at the request of the Bild newspaper.
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According to the survey data, 57% of respondents were in favor of holding elections immediately, 22% said that elections should be held in March, 12% were in favor of abandoning early elections and holding them in September. The remaining 9% said that they either “don’t care” or have no opinion on this matter.
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Also, according to another survey conducted by the INSA research institute for the Bild newspaper, German citizens approve of the activities of the dismissed ex-Finance Minister Christian Lindner more than the activities of the country’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz. According to the survey, 29% of respondents are satisfied with Lindner’s work, while only 21% of citizens are satisfied with Scholz’s activities.
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In addition, according to the institute’s third survey, 59% of respondents expressed the opinion that Scholz treats German citizens with disrespect.
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The surveys were conducted on November 7 and 8, and more than a thousand people took part in each of them. The statistical error of the surveys is not given.
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According to the Bild newspaper, a “clear majority” of German citizens are calling for the immediate holding of early elections. The newspaper points out that Scholz should not delay raising the issue of a vote of confidence and “clear the way as quickly as possible” for new elections in the country.
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Late on Wednesday, Scholz announced that he had asked President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dismiss Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), noting that he was forced to do so to prevent damage to the country. Among the reasons for his decision to fire Lindner, he cited, among other things, the latter’s reluctance, as part of planning the state budget for 2025, to simultaneously approve an increase in spending to support Ukraine and investing in the future of Germany. On Thursday, Steinmeier dismissed Lindner and two FDP ministers.
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Lindner, in turn, accused Scholz of being “unambitious” and of demanding the suspension of the “debt brake” (a legally approved limit on new borrowings for the state budget). Scholz intends to request a vote of confidence from the Bundestag at the beginning of 2025, which will allow early elections in Germany in March. Later, opposition leader and head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Friedrich Merz demanded that the chancellor take this step as early as next week, so that the elections would be held in January.
