Germany Elections: Is it possible to form alliances to form the government fast?

In the early general elections in Germany to choose members of the Bundestag for the 21st legislative session, Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) party, declared his victory in the elections.

In contrast, Alice Weidel, the candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, declared that the election results were a historic success for her party, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), acknowledged his party’s painful defeat.

CDU victory According to the results, the CDU, which includes the CSU and CDU parties, won about 28.5% of the vote, representing an increase of 4.3%.

The Christian Democratic Union is a moderate right-wing party in German politics, previously led by Chancellor Angela Merkel for 18 years until 2018.

The CDU was the decision-maker in accepting Syrian refugees in 2015, but its policies changed after losing the 2021 elections to the Social Democratic Party led by Scholz.

Meanwhile, forming a government quickly is possible, according to many observers, as challenges lie not in fundamental differences as much as in the lack of flexibility in negotiations.

The centrist and leftist parties that may need to ally with the winner to form a coalition government don’t have the same strictness on immigration.

Possible alliances for formation of the new German government is expected to be difficult, especially with Sahra Wagenknecht’s (BSW) coalition’s opposition to current German war policies and support for former US President Donald Trump.

This coalition includes a number of Turks and Muslims and opposes arms exports to Israel, something that the other parties in Bundestag have rejected.

Trump comments Trump hailed the CDU’s victory, saying the German people, like the American people, were tired of the illogical policies that had prevailed for years, especially regarding energy and immigration.

Rejecting a coalition with the far-right, as most of Germany’s main parties reject a coalition with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which won 20.7% of the vote, however, major concessions are expected from other parties to secure a government.

It’s worth noting that election results of the most important parties were:

• The Social Democratic Party (SPD) won 16.5% of the vote, down 9.2%, a significant loss.
• The Greens won 11.7%, down 3%.
• The Free Democratic Party (FDP) won just 4.4%, short of the threshold needed to enter the Bundestag.
• The Left Party (Die Linke) won 8.7%.
• Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW alliance) won around 5%.

These results reflect a complex political landscape in Germany, where forming a government requires multiple alliances and compromises between competing parties.