The fresh German government with the chapeque Friedrich Merzem next day (06.05.2025) is expected to start work. The coalition of the Chadetic parties CDU and CSU with the Social Democratic SPD (the 5th specified coalition in the past of the RFN) was formed 10 weeks after the Bundestag election and six months after the dissolution of the SPD, Green and FDP coalitions.
Today, Monday 5 May, CDU, CSU and SPD leaders signed a 144-page coalition agreement in Berlin entitled "Responsibility for Germany". The first test for the alliance will take place on Tuesday erstwhile coalition parties will choose the head of the CDU Friedrich Merz as the 10th Chancellor of Germany.
Merz: "I'm very optimistic"
Before signing the coalition agreement, Merz said that the coalition "thanks to reforms and investments" wanted to contribute to Germany's development. Europe is waiting for Germany to make a powerful contribution to the joint task again. “I am very optimistic that from next day we will be able to regulation our country in a strong, planable and trustworthy way,” said the future German Chancellor.
Appointed as Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister, the head of SPD Lars Klingbeil stressed that the government can only win with teamwork skills. His motto for the future coalition is "Germany needs less administrators and more people making something possible".
The Bavarian CSU president Markus Söder in turn appealed: "full forward for Germany". “Not everything will happen overnight,” he said. However, erstwhile implementing the coalition agreement, a fresh "tempo for Germany" will be achieved. “The time has come for fresh optimism,” he said.
Voting time: 12 votes left
The way to elect a fresh chancellor is already formally paved. During Tuesday's secret ballot, Friedrich Merz needs the majority of all members of the Bundestag. That means 316 votes. The Bundestag consists of 328 CDU/CSU and SPD politicians. Merz so theoretically has 12 votes. The election of Merz in the first circular of the vote is considered alternatively certain.
After the election of 69-year-old Merz will be officially nominated by German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace, and will then be sworn in in in the Bundestag. Then his office will be appointed and sworn in.
The time of the large coalition is over
On Tuesday afternoon, the fresh government can join the work. Germany will one more time have a government that has the majority behind it in the Bundestag.
In the past, alliances between chadetia and social democracy were called a large coalition due to the fact that they had a large majority in the Bundestag. In the first large coalition from 1966 to 1969, 3 coalition parties together constituted 90 percent of MPs. During the last specified coalition under Angela Merkel's regulation from 2018 to 2021, the coalition was only 56 percent of the full MPs. present it is only 52 percent.
Merz: "work coalition"
For this no longer peculiarly large coalition, a appropriate name has been sought in fresh weeks. any of the proposals, specified as a tiny coalition, a coalition of Angola and Albania (in terms of the colours of the coalition parties and the national colours of both countries), a coalition of "cola zero" (referring to the colours of the product), were treated with a wink.
Friedrich Merz himself now christened the fresh alliance as a "work coalition". His government faces 4 major challenges – it wants to revive the weakening economy, reduce illegal migration and stabilise finances through budget plans for 2025 and 2026.
In addition, the German Government after the change of course in abroad policy by the US president Donald Trump and in the face of the threat from Russia must besides redefine its function in Europe and the world. According to Merz, the first effects should be noticeable until summer.
