March 15, 2025 (EIRNS)—In the Feb. 23 Federal elections in Germany, Friedrich Merz’s CDU party won, at least in part on his promise not to override the national “debt brake.” However, days later Merz had already announced plans to lift the debt brake in order to install a massive military budget of €400 billion—a budget needed for the assumed task of preparing for war with Russia in the coming years. The only problem was the incoming Bundestag was not expected to give him the two-thirds majority vote needed to override the German Constitution for such an extreme act, as anti-establishment parties like the AfD and BSW had also gained seats in the election.
Therefore, Merz decided to force through a vote before the new Bundestag convenes on March 25, thinking it would be more likely he would get the approval. Across Germany, several appeals were submitted to the nation’s Constitutional Court to stop his move and mandate the new Bundestag be convened before such a major vote should take place. Appeals were filed by the AfD and The Left party, among others, arguing that Merz and his coalition partners were ignoring the will of the voters and relying on existing majorities to push through its plans. Ines Schwerdtner, leader of The Left, called the move “tricks that are damaging to democracy.”
