Germany's new coalition faces uphill battle amid public doubt
The Christian Democratic parties CDU and CSU, along with the SPD, signed a coalition agreement on Monday in Berlin, serving as the programmatic basis for their joint government. The vote on CDU leader Friedrich Merz's candidacy for chancellor and the swearing-in of his government is scheduled for Tuesday.
The agreement was signed: in the name of the CDU by Merz, in the name of the SPD by both chairpersons Lars Klingbeil and Saskia Esken, and as a representative of the CSU by the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder.
Before signing, Merz announced that the new government, if elected by the Bundestag, would immediately start working to "change Germany for the better." - The government will provide the country with reforms and investments - he emphasized. He announced a greater international role for Germany, especially in Europe.
Esken emphasized that one of the coalition's main tasks would be to combat the extreme right. - We must put an end to right-wing ghosts - she said.
The coalition partners previously announced their candidates for ministerial positions. The vice-chancellor and finance minister will be SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil. Johann Wadephul from the CDU will receive the foreign ministry portfolio, and the interior ministry will go to leading CSU politician Alexander Dobrindt. Social Democrat Boris Pistorius, currently the most popular German politician, will remain as defence minister.
The negotiations undertaken by the three parties after the Bundestag elections on February 23 ended in early April. The agreement was then accepted by all coalition partners. In an online referendum organized by the SPD among all party members, 84 percent of participants supported the agreement. The main tasks outlined in the 146-page agreement are overcoming the economic crisis and combating illegal immigration.
The German economy has been in recession for three years. The tax reliefs for entrepreneurs announced by the new government are expected to contribute to economic revitalization. The number of people applying for asylum is falling; however, German citizens still consider it too high.
In 2024, nearly 230,000 foreigners filed asylum requests, 100,000 fewer than the previous year. Illegal immigration is also a problem, which is why the new government announced stricter controls and the repatriation of individuals who do not have valid entry documents. The coalition partners also pledged to strengthen relations with Poland and revive trilateral cooperation within the Weimar Triangle.
A challenge for the new government. Public sentiment hits rock bottom
Even before the formal establishment of the coalition, the three parties pushed through a constitutional change in the Bundestag allowing for unlimited increases in defence spending and the creation of a special fund for infrastructure investment totalling approximately €500 (CAD 780 billion).
The Christian Democratic parties won the parliamentary elections with 28.6 percent of the vote. The previous government's ruling Social Democrats suffered a significant defeat, garnering only 16.4 percent, their worst post-war result. A CDU/CSU and SPD coalition was the only option to form a majority government through the democratic centre parties. Christian Democrats and Social Democrats rule out cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which secured second place with 20.8 percent.
The chancellor and his government must face pessimistic public sentiment from the start. In the "Political Barometer" survey by ZDF television, 56 percent of respondents negatively assessed Merz's nomination for chancellor, while only 38 percent supported the decision. Support for the parties forming the coalition has fallen compared to election results. Currently, 27 percent want to vote for the CDU/CSU and 15 percent for the SPD, meaning that if the elections were held this past Sunday, the coalition would not have a majority.
