Political Crisis in Germany: Scholz Cancels Participation in COP29
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has canceled his trip to the COP29 climate conference in Baku, set to begin on Monday, due to a severe political crisis affecting the country, local media reported Thursday, citing a government spokesperson.
“The chancellor will not be attending the COP in Baku next week,” the sources indicated, as the conservative opposition has called for a confidence vote in the coming days.
Chancellor Scholz has scheduled this parliamentary vote for January 15 and is committed to adhering to that date, determined to lead a minority government until early elections can be convened.
Olaf Scholz was expected to spend Tuesday at the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), where he was slated to deliver a speech and participate in several climate-related events.
The conference will gather representatives from 198 countries in Baku, Azerbaijan, commencing on November 11 and running at least until November 22.
The ongoing political crisis in Germany has disrupted the chancellor’s agenda. Alongside the conservative CDU/CSU opposition, three other parties are demanding a confidence vote in the near future: the far-right AfD party, currently polling second behind the conservatives; the left-leaning BSW party; and the FDP liberals, who are exiting the government following the dismissal of Finance Minister Christian Lindner on Wednesday. This dismissal marks the end of the current coalition government, which no longer holds a majority in the lower house.
