Germany’s snap elections: Reaching 2030 climate and energy targets will depend on next government
Q&A: What does the German coalition government break-up mean for climate and energy?
Germany's coalition government under Olaf Scholz has come to an early end – on the day Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election. The chancellor sacked his finance minister after long internal disputes over the right way forward on economic recovery and the energy transition. The break-up now leaves the country with a host of unfinished policy proposals that risk grinding to a halt until a snap election is held and a new government is sworn in next year. This includes urgent matters such as Germany's 2025 budget, without which many climate, energy, and industry support programmes could be left hanging in the balance for months, unless a minority government manages to forge new majorities in parliament. Read the factsheet here.
Coalition collapse: Tracking the path to Germany's snap elections
Germany's coalition government collapsed due to internal disputes over budget and economic policy in November 2024. The country now gears up for snap elections in early 2025, against the backdrop of a flagging economy, the war in Ukraine, and the looming second Trump presidency in the U.S.
This article tracks the latest developments on the road to a new government.
Reactions from energy and climate community to collapse of Germany’s coalition government
Following the break-up of Germany's governing coalition, the country's energy industry urged rapid snap elections to give companies much-needed investment security in uncertain times. Youth climate movement Fridays for Future announced nationwide demonstrations to ensure climate topics are central to election campaigns. Read the article here.
The road to a new coalition government in Germany
Germany looks to be heading for snap elections in early 2025 after chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government broke up on 6 November 2024, following months of dispute among the parties. Under normal circumstances, Germans elect a new parliament every four years, and the requirements to initiate an early election are high. Neither the chancellor nor the parliament itself has the power to do this unilaterally, and the process consists of several steps. Eventually, a government is formed after the new federal parliament decides on a chancellor, but the laborious process to negotiate a coalition can last for months after an election.
This factsheet provides a brief overview of the path to the next German government.
