Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Calls for Merkel to face vote of no confidence after embarrassing U-turn on Covid-19 Easter lockdown

Calls for Merkel to face vote of no confidence after embarrassing U-turn on Covid-19 Easter lockdown

German politicians have called for Chancellor Angela Merkel to face a vote of no confidence after she admitted her “mistake” and pulled the plug on harsh Covid-19 restrictions planned for the Easter holiday.
Members of the Bundestag could soon be asked to vote on whether the chancellor has their support after a number of eager politicians jumped to capitalize on a rare case of an admitted misjudgment by the country’s long-standing leader.

On Wednesday, the leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), Christian Lindner, tweeted his call “to examine the ability of the government of Merkel to act,” saying that “the Chancellor can no longer be sure of the unanimous support of her coalition.”

Lindner’s colleague, FDP Vice President and Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki, reiterated the party’s call, telling Bild: “I call on the Chancellor to face a vote of no confidence… because she has not only admitted her own inability, but the lack of competence of her Minister Altmaier and Spahn is obvious.”

“She has obviously lost the trust of part of her coalition factions,” Kubicki added.

The demand was echoed by Germany’s democratic socialists, with Dietmar Bartsch, head of the Die Linke (The Left) party, telling Funke media group: “We now have a veritable crisis of confidence in the political leadership of the country.” Bartsch complemented his call for a vote of no confidence by labelling Merkel’s government “amateurish”.v

Earlier on Wednesday, Merkel backtracked on heavily criticized plans to introduce a tough five-day lockdown over the course of the Easter weekend, admitting "this mistake is my mistake alone.”

The planned restrictions would have seen businesses closed, supermarkets reduced to opening for just one day during the period and a ban on private gatherings of more than five adults from two different households. Merkel also called for Easter church services to be conducted virtually.

The chancellor’s now-scrapped plans were a response to soaring Covid-19 infections, fueled by the more contagious British variant. On Monday, the infection rate stood at 107 per 100,000, nearly double the rate of three weeks ago.

Merkel’s center-right party has taken a hit in opinion polls in recent weeks, with the lead of the the CDU/CSU alliance dropping to less than 10%, according to most pollsters.

Nevertheless, Merkel’s work continues to be rated positively by German voters. The Insa survey, commissioned by the tabloid Bild in March, suggested 53.5% rate her work as very good or rather good, giving her a net positive rating of 19.4%.

Previous calls for Merkel to face a vote of no confidence have not been fruitful for her opposition.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×