Elections: Germany enters a period of uncertainty

From Monday morning, the leadership of the various parties likely to enter into a future alliance will meet in Berlin and should give indications of what alliances they are considering.

According to the first provisional official results published Monday morning on the Electoral Commission website, the center-left of the SPD and its leader Olaf Schultz won 25.7% of the vote, slightly ahead of the conservative CDU-CSU d’Armin Laschet. , which had a historically low score of 24.1%.

Conservatives have never fallen below the 30% threshold. This is a stinging setback for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s camp as she is due to retire from politics.

Beyond that, everything still has to be done in the country. Because in Germany, it is not the electors who directly elect the head of government, but the deputies, as soon as the majority is formed.

The latter is particularly complicated this time around because it has to bring together three parties – unheard of since the 1950s – due to the collapse of votes.

poker begins, notes the magazine woman. the cars After the vote, basic questions remain open: Who will the advisor be? Which alliance will rule the country in the future?, he is referring to.

For the Social Democrats, things are clear: What is certain is that many citizens The SPD voted because of They want to change the government and also because they want to name the next chancellor Olaf SchultzHe said 63 years.

Olaf Schulz is the leader of the SPD (Social Democratic Party) and a candidate for the German chancellor.

Photo: Associated Press/Brita Pedersen

The problem: his opponent from the right of the center despite the result disappointing, is not ready to join the opposition benches. We will do everything in our power to build a government led by the Union CDU-CSU, the Christian Democratic candidate reassured.

In Germany, discussions to form a new executive body are the sole responsibility of the political parties.

After the previous elections in 2017, the current grand coalition could only be formed after more than six months, leading to political paralysis in Germany, especially on European issues.

However, both the SPD and the center-right said they aimed to reach a conclusion before Christmas. Will they succeed?

Germany will take over the G7 presidency in 2022, remembers Mr. Laschet, which is why the new government must Come very quickly.

In the current composition, there are several possible solutions to a majority in the Bundestag, which will include 735 deputies, 137 for more than four years, according to the Electoral Commission.

The Social Democrats could thus ally themselves with the Greens, which came in third in the poll with 14.8%, and the Liberals of the Free Democratic Party, a right-wing party with 11.5%. Instead, it is the Conservatives who can rule with the Greens and the Free Democratic Party.

According to a YouGov poll released Sunday night to Monday, a majority of voters favor the first option. And 43% of them believe Olaf Schulz should become the next chancellor for Europe’s largest economy.

So everything will depend on the goodwill of two small parties, qualified on Monday by the daily picture from king makers.

As FDP Chairman Christian Lindner estimated on Sunday that it would be desirable For his party and advocates of environmental protection First to discuss with each other Before deciding to ally with conservatives or social democrats.

For Germany’s oldest party, the coming weeks will be a test. During the election campaign, the Social Democrats put an end to their legendary quarrels between the left and center in support of their leader, current Finance Minister Angela Merkel, without fail.

But how would he react if it was new the hero olaf Should she mourn half of her program to please the liberal right? Southgerman newspaper. Because the FDP will never accept a tax hike for the rich, as the SPD and the Greens want it to.

At the end of the day, the newspaper said, the formation of the coalition will be put to the votes of the Social Democratic Party members. However, in 2018, they preferred to appoint a duo of outsiders from the party’s left wing.