After the elections, the negotiations: the Social Democrats, who came out on top, and Angela Merkel’s conservatives, who have fallen to a historically low level, are starting separate talks this Sunday in an attempt to build a coalition and conquer the German Chancellery. The stakes are high for Europe’s largest economy, which retains bitter memories of the previous coalition negotiations in 2017, which lasted for months and caused paralysis of the European Union.
The SPD of Olaf Scholz, in pole position to try to form the next team in power after its narrow victory, will meet Sunday in turn the liberals of the FDP and the Greens, the two parties making chancellors. Olaf Scholz’s objective is clear: to succeed Angela Merkel in the chancellery, at the head of a “traffic light” coalition with these two formations. “It is clear in all the polls that people do not want the CDU-CSU to be part of the next government,” the new strongman of German social democracy summed up on Saturday in the weekly Der Spiegel, which presents him in one as the probable future chancellor.
Polls largely in favor of Olaf Scholz
But the conservative CDU-CSU union, although for the first time since 1949 fell below the 30% mark, has not said its last word. The Christian Democrats of the unpopular Armin Laschet will thus conduct talks with the liberals this Sunday, before meeting the “Grünen” on Tuesday. However, public opinion seems to have clearly decided in favor of the SPD and its leader, the current finance minister of the grand coalition government. Nearly six in ten Germans (59%) want a “traffic light” coalition between SPD, Greens and FDP, according to a survey for the public channel ZDF. For three quarters of those questioned, Olaf Scholz must be the next chancellor. Only 13% lean for Armin Laschet.
However, discussions are expected to be difficult with these two parties. The Liberals make no secret of the fact that they would have preferred to deal with the Conservatives. But four years after giving up on an agreement with Angela Merkel, this time they seem ready to make concessions. The Greens too are ready to give up ballast to form a “progressive government” with the SPD. The two parties, which came out on top among young voters, are also in the process of demanding the removal of the criminalization of advertising for abortion, to which the conservatives are attached. In this context, the co-president of the SPD, Norbert Walter-Borjans wanted to be optimistic on Saturday: “We could start formal coalition negotiations in October and conclude them by December. “
But the conservatives are reluctant to draw a line on power after having exercised it continuously since 2005. In Angela Merkel’s party, however, the time seems to be settling scores and ego quarrels. Armin Laschet, whose image has been a little more damaged by his reluctance to recognize his defeat, seems more and more threatened. Friedrich Merz, an intimate enemy of Angela Merkel and unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of the CDU at the start of the year, has already said he is ready to lead a party “which has become lazy in its way of thinking”.