East German Voters Complicate Merz Plan to Boost Ukraine Defense
Christian Görke isn't against Germany easing its borrowing rules, he just doesn't want 'a pure economic stimulus for the arms industry.' The veteran Left Party lawmaker is part of a new class of parliamentarians that will arrive in the Bundestag next month to form a powerful opposition against incoming Christian Democratic chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Merz ran on a promise to invest more in defense. To do that, he'll likely need to change Germany's constitutional limits on borrowing, only possible with a two-thirds majority vote in parliament. But the Left Party, along with the far-right AfD, are adamantly opposed to increasing military spending in support of Ukraine. Combined they have 216 out of a total of 630 seats.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
5 hours ago
- CNN
Friedrich Merz
Here's a look at the life Friedrich Merz, chancellor of Germany. Birth date: November 11, 1955 Birth place: Brilon, Germany Birth name: Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz Father: Joachim Merz, judge Mother: Paula Sauvigny Marriage: Charlotte Gass (1981-present) Children: Three Education: Studied law at the University of Bonn and the University of Marburg, graduating in 1985. Military service: 1975–1976 Religion: Catholic Merz has a hardline stance on migration. He has called for asylum-seekers arriving from other European Union member states to be rejected at Germany's land borders. Merz has criticized liberal welfare benefits. He has promised to slash welfare spending, telling The Economist in a rare sit-down interview in the lead-up to the election that he wants to avoid 'paying people who are not willing to work.' In 2003, Merz argued that German tax rules should be simple enough to calculate on the back of a beer coaster. Merz is an amateur pilot. 1972 – Joins the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). 1985-1986 - Judge at Saarbrücken District Court. 1986-1989 - Lawyer for the German Chemical Industry Association. 1989 – Is elected to the European Parliament. 1994 – Wins a seat in the Bundestag. 2000 – Loses to Angela Merkel in a CDU party leadership election. 2009 - Merz leaves the Bundestag and joins the private sector, working as a lawyer. 2021 – Returns to his previous seat in the Bundestag. January 2022 - After two failed bids for CDU party leadership, in 2018 and 2021, Merz is selected to lead the party. February 23, 2025 – CDU and its sister party wins the federal election. Merz will likely be the next chancellor of Germany. April 9, 2025 - Announces he will form a coalition with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD). May 6, 2025 – Merz is approved as chancellor of Germany. He had fallen six votes short earlier in the day.
CNN
5 hours ago
- CNN
Friedrich Merz
Here's a look at the life Friedrich Merz, chancellor of Germany. Birth date: November 11, 1955 Birth place: Brilon, Germany Birth name: Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz Father: Joachim Merz, judge Mother: Paula Sauvigny Marriage: Charlotte Gass (1981-present) Children: Three Education: Studied law at the University of Bonn and the University of Marburg, graduating in 1985. Military service: 1975–1976 Religion: Catholic Merz has a hardline stance on migration. He has called for asylum-seekers arriving from other European Union member states to be rejected at Germany's land borders. Merz has criticized liberal welfare benefits. He has promised to slash welfare spending, telling The Economist in a rare sit-down interview in the lead-up to the election that he wants to avoid 'paying people who are not willing to work.' In 2003, Merz argued that German tax rules should be simple enough to calculate on the back of a beer coaster. Merz is an amateur pilot. 1972 – Joins the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). 1985-1986 - Judge at Saarbrücken District Court. 1986-1989 - Lawyer for the German Chemical Industry Association. 1989 – Is elected to the European Parliament. 1994 – Wins a seat in the Bundestag. 2000 – Loses to Angela Merkel in a CDU party leadership election. 2009 - Merz leaves the Bundestag and joins the private sector, working as a lawyer. 2021 – Returns to his previous seat in the Bundestag. January 2022 - After two failed bids for CDU party leadership, in 2018 and 2021, Merz is selected to lead the party. February 23, 2025 – CDU and its sister party wins the federal election. Merz will likely be the next chancellor of Germany. April 9, 2025 - Announces he will form a coalition with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD). May 6, 2025 – Merz is approved as chancellor of Germany. He had fallen six votes short earlier in the day.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
German chancellor accuses Russia of "serious war crimes" amid latest attacks
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has accused Moscow of "serious war crimes" following the latest Russian large-scale attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Source: German TV news service Tagesschau, as reported by European Pravda Details: Russia has "purposefully and ruthlessly" attacked the civilian population of Ukraine with numerous drones and cruise missiles in recent days, Merz said at a joint press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. The large-scale Russian attacks constitute "terror against civilians" and "by no means a proportionate response" to Ukraine's "very precise" attacks on Russian military airfields, the chancellor added. Background: On 10 June, Russia attacked Ukraine with 322 aerial assets. Ukraine's air defences managed to shoot down 284 of them. It was reported that a building near the EU Delegation to Ukraine had been damaged as a result of the Russian strikes on Kyiv. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called for no delay in imposing powerful new sanctions against Russia following the large-scale airstrikes. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
