In Germany, the centre-left Social Democratic Party, Mr. Schortz, will be elected as the new prime minister tonight, Japan time, and a new government will be inaugurated.
As a result, Chancellor Merkel, who has led Germany for 16 years and has shown strong leadership in Europe, will retire.
In the German Bundestag, a vote will be held from 5 pm on the 8th of Japan time to select the successor to Chancellor Merkel, and the center-left Social Democratic Party Mr. Schortz, who is the finance minister, is expected to be elected prime minister.
The new government is a coalition government consisting of the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party with environmental policy in the foreground, and the Liberal Democratic Party with an emphasis on the market economy.
▽ The Foreign Minister is the leader of the Green Party, Bearbock.
▽ It is expected that the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Lindner, will be appointed as the finance minister.
In addition, female ministers will be appointed as defense ministers and interior ministers, and with the exception of Mr. Schortz, the number of ministers is expected to be the same for both men and women.
"All three parties are united in their stance of aiming for a society where men and women are treated equally, which is a great signal," Schortz said at a press conference on the 7th.
The new administration plans to urgently respond to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, strengthen climate change measures, and reduce disparities.
With Mr. Schortz's inauguration, Chancellor Merkel, who led Germany for four terms and 16 years and demonstrated strong leadership in Europe, will retire, and it is new whether Germany can continue to have a presence in the international community. The skill of the administration will be questioned.
What is Mr. Scholz?
Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party, who will become prime minister, is 63 years old from Osnabrück, the former West Germany region.
Aspiring to be a politician since childhood, he joined the Social Democratic Party at the age of 17.
After working as a lawyer specializing in labor law, he was first elected in the 1998 general election and became a member of the German Bundestag.
Since 2011, he has served as mayor for seven years in Hamburg, Germany's second largest city, and from 2018 he has concurrently served as finance minister and deputy prime minister under the Grand Coalition Government led by Merkel.
As the Minister of Finance, he has taken large-scale economic measures to curb the economic impact of the spread of the new coronavirus, and has been urgently affected by the flood that struck western Germany in July. There are also voices who appreciate the positive attitude toward fiscal mobilization, such as providing assistance.
From the appearance of giving a speech without expressing emotions, it is sometimes compared to a "robot", and while it has been said that it is not charismatic, it is evaluated for its high practical ability and solidity based on abundant political experience. It has also been pointed out that the calm and calm response is similar to Mr. Merkel.
Mr. Schortz says his wife is also a Social Democratic politician, Brita Ernst, who enjoys jogging, which she started under the influence of Ernst.
The policy of the new administration
A coalition agreement between the center-left Social Democratic Party, which is in charge of the new government in Germany, the Green Party, which emphasizes environmental policy, and the Liberal Democratic Party, which emphasizes the market economy, sets out a liberal policy.
Of these, in terms of climate change countermeasures, it has set a goal that is more advanced than the previous Merkel administration, and said that it is desirable to advance the time to completely abolish the coal-fired power plant, which was supposed to be by 2038, by 2030. ▽ The ratio of renewable energy to electricity in 2030 will be increased from 65% to 80%.
On the diplomatic side, we plan to participate as an observer in the first Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to be held in Austria next March.
While many NATO members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have expressed opposition to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the fact that Germany, a major country, has indicated its intention to participate in the conference will affect the judgments of other countries in the future. Is expected to give.
Regarding China, it is different from the Merkel administration, which has emphasized economic ties, and will focus on human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as well as the framework of the "One China" policy in the EU = European Union. He said that he would support Taiwan's participation in international organizations.
Furthermore, as it strengthens its involvement in the Indo-Pacific region, it intends to strengthen relations with Japan and start regular intergovernmental talks.
In addition, the agreement document states that the minimum wage will be raised to 12 euros per hour and 1500 yen in Japanese yen to correct the disparity, and the voting age will be lowered from 18 to 16 years old. It includes legalizing sales and facilitating the acquisition of immigrant citizenship.
Expert "Changes can be seen in China policy"
Regarding the foreign policy of Germany's new administration, experts point out that there are many points that will be continued from the Merkel administration, but there are also changes in the policy toward China.
The three parties in Germany's new government released a policy agreement last month.
Regarding this content, Thorsten Benner, director of the Global Public Policy Institute, an independent think tank in Germany, clearly positions China as a systematic rival and participates in Taiwan's international organizations over its policy toward China. I noticed that support was included.
"It's a very new tone, different from the Chinese policy that Chancellor Merkel has pursued so far," said Benner, pointing out that it is a different stance from the Merkel administration, which has emphasized economic ties with China. ..
In connection with the expected appointment of the new foreign minister, the leader of the Green Party, Bearbock, who is harsh on China's human rights situation, Benner said, "Mr. Bearbock has launched with partners from countries such as Europe and the United States. We will strongly aim to realize the diplomatic policy. "
On the other hand, regarding relations with Russia, he said, "I have no illusion of exploring the relationship between Russia and partners, and I have a calm view." Was shown.
Regarding the retirement of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was at the center of European politics, Benner said, "Many people would miss Merkel, but how the new German government is responsible in the world. I want you to pay attention to whether you can achieve this. "
What is Merkel retiring?
アンゲラ・メルケル氏は67歳。
4期16年にわたって、ドイツの首相を務め、ヨーロッパ政治においてもリーダーシップを発揮してきました。
旧東ドイツ育ちの物理学者で、1989年のベルリンの壁崩壊をきっかけに政治活動に加わり、2005年、歴代最年少の51歳で、ドイツで初めての女性の首相に就任しました。
中道右派の「キリスト教民主同盟」に所属しながら、徴兵制の停止や同性婚の容認など、リベラル寄りの政策も推し進め、幅広い層から安定した支持を得てきました。
2期目に入った2009年以降、ギリシャで多額の財政赤字が発覚したことをきっかけにヨーロッパの信用不安が広がると、ギリシャなどには財政の立て直しのために緊縮策や構造改革を迫り、ドイツ国民の税金を支援のために安易には投入しないというきぜんとした態度に国内での支持が高まりました。
2011年の東京電力・福島第一原子力発電所の事故の際には、従来の方針を一転させて「脱原発」を決めるなど、世論の動向を見極めながら大胆に方針転換する一面も見せました。
また、自由貿易の推進や気候変動対策などで多国間の協調を訴え続け、2016年にアメリカの大統領選挙で自国第一主義を掲げるトランプ氏が勝利すると、欧米メディアから「自由民主主義の最後の守り手」とも評されました。
一方で中国に対しては、新疆ウイグル自治区などでの人権状況をめぐって国際的な懸念が強まる中でも経済的な結び付きを重視し、ロシアに対しても、天然ガスをドイツに運ぶための海底パイプライン「ノルドストリーム2」の計画を推進し、アメリカやEUの加盟国の中から批判や反発を受けました。
メルケル氏は2015年、中東のシリアなどからの難民を受け入れた決断をきっかけに、求心力を失っていきます。
Initially, he was tolerant of accepting refugees, saying that "it is natural to protect those who seek help," and more than one million refugees and migrants arrived in Germany.
However, when German women were violently attacked by a group of refugees, criticism increased in the country, and in the 2017 federal elections, the right-wing party "Alternative for Germany" opposed to accepting refugees. He allowed a breakthrough and suffered a series of defeats in local elections.
In 2018, Merkel announced that he would retire from the party leader in a series of responsibilities and would retire from politics after completing his fourth term as prime minister.
Since last year, the infection of the new coronavirus has spread, and we have been forced to respond to the corona crisis until just before we retired.
At the retirement ceremony in Berlin on the 2nd of this month, "It was a turbulent and often very challenging year. I was asked to do my best politically and humanly, but it was always fulfilling. I was looking back on my 16-year term.
"I don't know yet. I'm going to read, sleep, take a break and see what comes to my mind," Merkel said in an interview with the local media about her plans after retirement.
Voices from Berliners regretting their retirement
Regarding the resignation of Chancellor Merkel, who has led Germany for 16 years, the citizens of the capital Berlin said, "Merkel's sense of stability was outstanding due to the corona sickness. He made many wonderful achievements." I am happy that Mr. Merkel, who takes a calm response, has been the head of our country for 16 years. "
On the other hand, a 15-year-old man said, "It's strange that Merkel has been the prime minister for a long time in my life, but suddenly I become another person, but new changes are important." In addition, there was a woman who said, "I feel sad that Mr. Merkel, who has been respected overseas, will disappear, but I think it is time to change course," and further promotion of climate change measures under the new administration. There were also voices expecting changes.