Word: kohl
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...Schmidt prepared to address parliament the following morning, Genscher and the three other Free Democrat Cabinet ministers abruptly tendered their resignations, possibly surprising Schmidt, who had calculated that Genscher would be afraid to split his own party by lurching toward Kohl. Indeed, the F.D.P. executive committee later endorsed Genscher's proposal to open negotiations with the Christian Democrats by a margin...
Knowing that his own fate was sealed, Schmidt proceeded with his plan to ask all parties to agree to a call for new elections and to accept his minority leadership in the interim. Kohl lost no time rejecting what he pointedly called the Chancellor's "intrigue." Instead, the C.D.U. leader bluntly called on Schmidt to step aside. Said he: "It is your patriotic duty to resign. Our people need a new start and we are ready to provide it." Added a member of the Christian Social Union: "We are not going to play the Chancellor's game...
...Kohl later said that he planned to introduce a constructive vote of no confidence against Schmidt. To be elected Chancellor, Kohl will need the support of all 226 C.D.U. and C.S.U. members, plus at least 23 Free Democrats. At week's end Kohl could count on the Christian Democrats' unanimous backing plus the support of 33 of the 51 Free Democratic deputies. A parliamentary vote could come as early as this week...
...Kohl has reportedly already promised Genscher that he will invite the F.D.P. to form a new coalition. But he did not say publicly when he would call for national elections to obtain a popular mandate for the new government. Said Kohl: "Our program must be clearly shaped before we take it to the electorate. Of course, we must act as quickly as possible." The Free Democrats hope that the arrangement will give them time to build support prior to any new elections...
Precisely how a new C.D.U. government would approach the array of problems that brought down the Schmidt government is not yet clear. Kohl said last week that the new government's first task would be to "put the budget in order, fight unemployment and take charge of the economy," but he offered no details as to how he might accomplish this. Still, the C.D.U. should enjoy widespread public support, at least initially, from West Germans who feel that the time has come for a change of government in Bonn. Schmidt's announcement that the coalition had collapsed sent...