International

The German conservative leader urges Chancellor Scholz to call a vote of confidence after the breakup of the government coalition

The leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Friedrich Merz, urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday to submit to a vote of confidence next week at the latest, and not on January 15, as he announced yesterday, after the breakup of the coalition government.

In an appearance before the press, Merz said that “there is no reason to wait until January next year to ask for a vote of confidence,” and stressed that the government coalition, formed by social democrats, greens and liberals, “no longer has a majority” in the lower house.

“Therefore, we have to demand that the chancellor, by unanimous decision of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group – the Bavarian Christian Social Union – immediately convene a vote of confidence, no later than the beginning of next week,” he said.

Call for elections

The conservative politician said that he will ask Scholz at the meeting they will hold this noon “to clear the way” for elections and present his arguments in a subsequent meeting with the country’s president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Merz alluded to a whole series of international commitments, conferences and decisions in the European Union that “now require a German government to be able to act.”

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“We simply cannot afford now to have a government without a majority in Germany for several months and then carry out an electoral campaign for several more months and then possibly several weeks of coalition negotiations. This now has to go fast,” he added.

He said that if Scholz submits to the vote of confidence now, it would be possible to hold general elections in the second half of January and assured that there is enough time for the parties to carry out all the necessary preparations.

“There is no reason at all to wait until the spring of next year,” he insisted.

Scholz’s chief advisor will take over the Finance portfolio

Jörg Kukies, an important advisor to the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and currently Secretary of State in the Chancellery, will assume the portfolio of Minister of Finance of the Government of a minority of Social Democrats and Greens, after the collapse of the coalition with the expulsion of the Liberals.

Kukies, 56, will replace the president of the Liberal Party (FDP), Christian Lindner, who was dismissed yesterday by Scholz with the argument of the loss of confidence and the unwillingness to find compromises to save the coalition.

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Economist by training, he worked for a long time for the investment bank Goldman Sachs and before moving to the Foreign Ministry he was Secretary of State in the Ministry of Finance between 2018 and 2021.

The president demands that politicians be up to it

For his part, the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, urged on Thursday all political leaders to assume their responsibility in the face of the enormous challenge now of having a minority government and, almost certainly, early general elections in March after the breakup of the coalition.

“This is not the time for tactics and skirmishes. It’s time for common sense and responsibility. I expect all those responsible to rise to the magnitude of the challenges,” said the head of state in a brief appearance before the media.

Steinmeier recalled that in the 75-year history of the Federal Republic of Germany, it has rarely happened that a government coalition has ceased to have a majority in the Lower House or Bundestag before the end of the legislature.

The president of Germany said that, although the collapse of the Government “is not the end of the world” and the German Constitution includes provisions for these cases, “it is a political crisis that we have to leave behind and that we will leave behind.”

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Before the collapse of the coalition, the general elections were scheduled for September 28, while now, given the high possibility that Scholz will lose the vote because he is in the minority, they will probably be held in advance in March.

The German President must decide on the dissolution of the Lower House if the Lower House withdraws its confidence in the Chancellor, in accordance with Article 68 of the Basic Law.

“I am willing to make this decision,” said Steinmeier, who insisted that Germany “needs stable majorities and a government capable of acting,” so “that will be my yardstick.”

Central America

El Salvador and Paraguay approve 2026–2028 cooperation program

The governments of El Salvador and Paraguay approved the 2026–2028 Cooperation Program, which includes six joint development projects, according to Salvadoran Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Adriana Mira.

Mira stated that El Salvador will act as the “main provider of cooperation,” contributing five initiatives focused on road infrastructure, tourism, and local development. She also noted that one of the projects will be led by the Paraguayan side, although no further details were disclosed.

The agreement was reached during the Second Meeting of the Joint Commission on Technical and Scientific Cooperation between both countries.

According to Paraguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the First Meeting of the Political Consultation and Bilateral Coordination Mechanism was also held, with the participation of Vice Minister Víctor Verdún.

In an official statement, the Paraguayan government reported that both delegations agreed to identify mechanisms to promote competitiveness, economic growth, and market access. They also committed to signing agreements related to air transport cooperation.

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International

Macron meets Machado, stresses need for democratic transition in Venezuela

Emmanuel Macron met on Monday at the Élysée Palace with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, where they discussed the importance of advancing a democratic transition in Venezuela.

In a message shared on social media, Macron highlighted Machado’s commitment to freedom and stressed the need to achieve a transition that is peaceful and respects the will of the Venezuelan people.

“I received María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Together, we discussed her commitment to freedom and the importance of achieving a democratic, peaceful transition in Venezuela that respects the will of its people,” he wrote.

For her part, Machado expressed her “deep gratitude” to Macron and to France for their support of democracy and freedom in Venezuela.

“We have gone through a long and painful journey, and we are now very close to freedom. Venezuela will become a nation of free and equal men and women—prosperous, safe, and united,” she said.

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International

Trump says Iran seeks new talks after failed negotiations in Pakistan

Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran has reached out to United States to resume negotiations, following the collapse of recent talks held in Islamabad.

“We’ve been contacted by the other side,” Trump told reporters, adding that Iran is eager to reach a deal “at all costs.” Speaking from the Oval Office, he reiterated that his main objective is to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons and warned that he will not allow Iran to “blackmail” the international community.

After negotiations between Washington and Tehran ended without agreement on Sunday, Trump announced that the U.S. would move to block the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil trade.

The waterway had already been disrupted by Iran in response to a U.S. and Israeli offensive launched on February 28, causing significant shocks to the global economy.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump further warned that any Iranian vessel attempting to bypass the U.S. naval blockade in the strait would be “eliminated immediately.”