German coalition teeters in ‘autumn of decisions’ – POLITICO

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gained a reprieve following a rare win for his Social Democratic Party (SPD), but his three-party coalition may still not be long for this world.

Soon after the SPD’s narrow victory over the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the eastern state of Brandenburg on Sunday, the result was already overshadowed by debate within the federal three-party coalition over how — and for how long — the government will survive.

One ought to have the "courage to ignite a new dynamic when the limits of what is possible are reached,” Christian Lindner, the finance minister and leader of the fiscally-conservative Free Democratic Party (FDP), told reporters on Monday. The coalition's future, he added, would depend on the outcome of an “autumn of decisions” in the next months — major upcoming policy resolutions on key issues ranging from migration to the economy.