Election reforms in Germany
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Opposition parties in Germany have begun a series of talks to decide who will run for office after the Social Democrats defeated Angela Merkel.
The Greens and the Free Free Democrats came to power after Sunday’s previous vote, in which the SPD, led by Olaf Scholz, won 25.7% of the vote compared to 24.1% of the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian counterpart, CSU.
The election sparked weeks of heated political debate. Unless they repeat their current “agreement”, the SPD or CDU / CSU will not establish a government without these two parties.
Scholz and his CDU / CSU counterpart Armin Laschet have taken the liberty of trying to establish the next government and drive more wealth in Europe.
The decision reflects the values of the German alliance. Often, the winning party initiates discussions with younger peers.
Scholz said the SPD, Greens and FDP had all expanded their share, meaning they had “sufficient knowledge” to form a single government.
“We have to work hard to form a government made up of the parties that won the election – then the SPD, and the larger vote, which is growing, then the Greens, and then the FDP,” he told reporters. “We will do everything we can to follow this path together.”
But Christian Lindner, FDP leader, said his party should talk to the Greens, as it is the source of “the biggest and biggest differences” in the deal. The parties differ widely in economic matters and in dealing with climate change.
“Therefore it makes sense to find a common ground in these areas that are sometimes developed,” he said.
The Greens came out on Wednesday with 14.8% of Sunday’s vote and the Free Democrats came in fourth with 11.5%.
“The CDU / CSU or SPD does not represent a resume…. This is why it makes sense for our two parties to communicate first,” Lindner said.
Confirming Lindner’s views, green party leader Annalena Baerbock said the election results confirmed the need for change. “We have been given the responsibility by voters to ensure a new beginning in our country,” he said.
Laschet stressed that the SPD does not have the sole right to direct negotiations. “Just because you get 25 percent, doesn’t mean you have the right to say you will be the next chancellor,” Laschet told reporters. “Olaf Scholz and I need to be just as humble [in the face of these results]. ”
However, the CDU leader denied the allegations, saying that the CDU / CSU had received the mandate to form a government. “Once you are in second place, you have no rights [to lead coalition negotiations], ”He said.
Green party leaders agreed that they should talk to the FDP first. The CDU is a governing body of the FDP and some Green officials said they could see Laschet and the FDP provide an opportunity to attract the alliance with caregivers.
But some Greens say they should not want to join a party that many voters consider to be losing the election and should start forming alliances with the party that won the most votes.
After gaining power through Merkel for 16 years, the CDU and CSU faced the worst elections in the world. Michael Kretschmer, the leader of the CDU in Saxony, said the outcome of the election was an “earthquake” that signaled a change for the party.