assorted colors

For the first time in 16 years, Germany will have a Social Democrat as chancellor, with three parties from opposite ends of the political spectrum agreeing to form a coalition that would end the era of Angela Merkel. In the run-up to the polls, many did not expect Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Olaf Scholz, a junior partner in Ms Merkel’s coalition, to be her successor. The SPD, Germany’s oldest political party, which has positioned itself as a centrist platform with a focus on social distancing measures, has faced an identity crisis of sorts as Ms Merkel has emerged as the country’s quintessential centrist leader. have emerged in On the other hand, a relatively new leftist party, Die Linke, devoured the traditional leftist base of the SPD. This year’s election, the main theme of which was to choose a successor to Ms. Merkel, opened up political opportunities. While Ms Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) tried to convert the chancellor’s popularity into votes with a message of continuity, the SPD, under Mr Scholz, who is finance minister in the outgoing government, promised incremental reforms, including higher spending. done, completely denying Ms. Merkel’s legacy. The results showed that he was more successful than his contenders in persuading reluctant voters. After taking a narrow lead over the CDU, the SPD began coalition talks with the Greens and pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) to form a ‘traffic light’ coalition (named after the parties’ colours). The speed and discipline with which the parties announced the alliance shows that they are serious about forming a stable government.

Each party has achieved and accepted something in the alliance agreement. The SPD got the green light for a proposal to raise the minimum wage from around €10 to €12 per hour. It has also proposed building some 400,000 housing units to cool the housing market. The parties also agreed to end the use of coal for electricity generation and to increase the share of renewable energy to 80% by 2030. In exchange for the FDP’s support for its spending and climate agenda, the Social Democrats and Greens agreed not to raise taxes. , Although the coalition agreement has cleared the way for government formation, it does not mean governance will be smooth for Mr. Scholz. She lacks the popularity of Ms Merkel and has to lead a diverse coalition that was built on convenience and agreement rather than any ideological similarity. Germany also faces economic, political and geopolitical challenges – from the COVID-19 crisis to a rift in the European Union and the challenges emanating from an aggressive Russia. His success as an administrator will depend on his ability to balance and keep the competing agendas of all three sides Put forward a common governance program for Germany.