Olaf Scholz

Has Friedrich Merz, the man who would be chancellor of Germany, really opened the ‘doors to hell’?

As elections approach, leader of the opposition CDU presents voters with a centre-right cocktail that is remixed on a daily basis

After the split, Germany’s Left party goes back to basics in bid to rise again

Sahra Wagenknecht’s populist BSW alliance falters after its anti-migration programme initially chimed with voters

Bundestag MPs reject migration bill by Christian Democratic Union and backed by far-right Alternative for Germany

Result was a shock for CDU leader Friedrich Merz

Eerie silence in Bundestag as far-right AfD sees chink of light

Opposition accepts AfD support for hot-button migration proposal

As German election nears, Scholz accuses rival of courting populists and far right

Christian Democratic Union leader Friedrich Merz blames chancellor for ‘law and order’ crisis

German opposition leader’s hopes of becoming chancellor hang in the balance as economic plan fails to convince

For long-time Berlin watchers, the most likely electoral outcome is a return to the Merkel era with another CDU-SPD grand coalition

Joe Biden leads tributes to Jimmy Carter following ex-president’s death aged 100

State funeral scheduled for Jaunary 9th, at which Biden will deliver a eulogy

Elon Musk article praising far-right AfD condemned by German political parties and press bodies

CDU leader and other politicians criticise media group Axel Springer over publication of opinion piece by US billionaire in Welt am Sonntag

German president dissolves parliament for February elections

Frank-Walter Steinmeier warns of external influence but calls for a campaign marked by ‘respect and decency’

‘I’ll never forget the trail of bodies’: Magdeburg witnesses recount Christmas market attack

As some waited for news of injured loved-ones, locals at the crash scene struggled to keep up with twists and turns of the story

German Christmas market attack: Five dead, including child (9), as details of alleged perpetrator emerge

Police identify driver in car-ramming incident that killed five and injured 200 as a Saudi doctor who has lived in Germany since 2006

To the French, Germans and even the Brits, Ireland is blessed with boring politics

Amid criticism of Ireland’s domestic politics making it hard for new ideas to break through, there’s something to be said for ‘same old, same old’

German chancellor Olaf Scholz brings down government and issues spending promise to voters

Snap election expected to take place in late February

Germany awaits political duel between Scholz and Merz

Scholz will use his last Bundestag address to defend his government’s record, matching higher spending on security with more generous welfare

Germany sends more military aid to Ukraine and criticises China’s support for Russia

Scholz’s trip comes weeks after he faced criticism from Volodymyr Zelenskiy for speaking to Vladimir Putin by phone

Volkswagen woes reflect wider German malaise as election nears

German car industry languishing amid struggle to master electric vehicles

Olaf Scholz wins SPD candidacy battle but may yet lose election war

Defence minister Boris Pistorious looks set to become the party’s most influential figure

Germany’s SPD has its Biden-Harris moment as Scholz’s popularity plummets

Slide in polls and Scholz-Pistorius debate have ramped up tensions for ruling party’s Bundestag members

EU spending ‘too long’ hesitating on support for Ukraine, says foreign affairs chief

Foreign ministers reject proposal for EU to suspend ‘political dialogue’ with Israel over war in Gaza

Russian missiles target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure

Kyiv says air attack is a rebuke to western leaders who believe Kremlin is open to peace talks

Conservative leader accuses Scholz of sowing division in Germany’s economy

Friedrich Merz calls the SDP party leader’s actions as ‘unworthy of a chancellor’

German parties agree to February federal election

Vote will come seven months early following collapse of coalition led by Olaf Scholz

Winter election in the air for Germany as Olaf Scholz under pressure to get the timing right

Chancellor is open to moving poll date forward to January, but some fear early vote will bring high risks for smaller parties

Olaf Scholz finally delivers on dynamic promise as firing of Germany’s finance chief blows up his coalition

German chancellor morphs from soft-spoken lawyer into Scholzilla on live TV, saying there is ‘no basis of trust for further co-operation’

Germany’s political instability hurting Europe, EU leaders say

European Union leaders sound alarm over weak governments in Germany and France

Europe is ill equipped for chaos of second Trump term

Prospects of a trade war and collapse of US support for Ukraine pose grave threats to EU

Germany’s coalition stands on a knife edge after Olaf Scholz fires finance minister

Chancellor accuses FDP leader Christian Lindner of ‘egotism’, but will wait until January to call snap election

‘He’s very angry with Europe’: Trump win puts EU on ‘bumpy road’, says former trade commissioner

Warning comes as European leaders congratulate Donald Trump on US election victory

Multi-billion stimulus plan proposed for Germany

German economics minister Robert Habeck argues country trapped in vicious circle of low growth and a tight fiscal corset

Germany’s Scholz faces wrath of business leaders against grim economic backdrop

Chancellor under pressure amid sluggish economy and opposition leader’s popularity

Biden calls for greater backing for Ukraine and praises German support on short visit to Berlin

US president in Germany to hold talks with Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer

Germany struggles with complexities of its relationship with Israel as war and suffering continue

In the country of the Holocaust, pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian camps have spent the last year facing off on a daily basis

Italian bank UniCredit’s bid for German stalwart Commerzbank provokes outrage

However, State sold shares accumulated during 2008-2010 banking crisis to bidder in auction

Germany’s SPD benefits from keeping Olaf Scholz in background

Chancellor has lost his three-year-old hero factor in recent elections. He has even been dropped from SPD posters

Pastors make stand as Alternative for Germany set for electoral gains in chancellor’s backyard

Polls say the far-right party will get another big win in Tuesday’s state election in Brandenberg, further weakening the position of chancellor Olaf Scholz

Friedrich Merz to compete against Olaf Scholz for chancellery in 2025

Centre-right opposition leader gets CDU and CSU backing in shift towards tougher line on migration

German police say new border checks ‘impossible to implement’

Interior minister Nancy Faeser said decision to temporarily set aside open-border measures was due to security risk posed by the numbers of irregular arrivals

Olaf Scholz attacks German opposition over migration standoff

Social Democratic Party leader rejects Christian Democratic Union claim government has ‘lost control’ of immigration

German border checks the frustrating new normal in what was the heart of EU’s open-border Schengen area

As migration ramps up tensions in the Scholz coalition, few in Berlin expect ‘temporary’ border measures to be eased before June 2026, when a new EU migration and asylum pact comes in

Draghi diagnoses economic ills but will EU take his medicine?

Former ECB head gives his diagnosis but European Union likely won’t agree to take its medicine

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