Germany: Government formation negotiations delayed despite fears of economic collapse

At a time when Europe is experiencing perhaps its most difficult days in decades, a period of uncertainty prevails due to its relationship with its primary ally since the end of World War II, the United States, its largest economy, appears to be in a state of alarming fragmentation.

Germany, which fears the collapse of its economy due to the tariff war with the US administration and is afraid of finding itself without an American security umbrella following the recent US-Russian rapprochement, is led by a government that lost its legitimacy after losing the parliamentary elections last February.

The winning party in those elections, the Christian Democratic Party (CDU), led by Friedrich Merz, is still negotiating to form its government, which it had pledged to expedite, because the world won’t wait for us, as Merz said after the victory a few weeks ago.

The conservative party, to which former Chancellor Angela Merkel belongs, won 28 percent of the vote, a percentage that would not allow it to form a government alone.

German electoral law doesn’t allow a single party to win, a provision deliberately designed to prevent a repeat of the Nazi-era experience of a single party dominating power.

Meretz entered into government negotiations with the Socialist Party, which leads the current government, despite its poor election performance, receiving only 16% of the vote.

After six weeks of negotiations between the two parties, doubts are growing among voters and within the Meretz party about the viability of the electoral promises on which the Christian Democrats won, particularly regarding immigration and the prospect of tougher laws to counter it.

A poll published Sunday shocked Merz’s party, showing that the AfD’s support had risen to a level with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

The poll showed both parties at 24% support, meaning that the AfD, which is classified as far-right, gained four points in the weeks following the election, while Merez lost four points and has yet to form a government.

The tabloid Bild quoted a CDU member as saying that the AfD even overtook the conservative party before Easter, on April 20, before which Merz had pledged to form a government.

Resentment within the Meretz party toward their leader is growing, due to what they see as his reneging on many of the campaign promises he made, including tightening immigration laws and not raising the public debt.

Members of his party believe he has made too many concessions to the Social Democratic Party, which rejects the Conservative Party’s proposals to tighten immigration.

Two days after his party’s victory, Meretz announced a massive borrowing package to finance defense and infrastructure.

Many voters considered this a betrayal, following his repeated statements during the election campaign that he would not increase the public debt.

Meretz justified his decision by saying it came in response to what appeared to be a US withdrawal from protecting Europe following US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Trump administration’s initiation of negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, but immigration appears to be the main issue causing Meretz to lose support.

Members of his party view him as soft in negotiations with the Socialists, and that he has offered them a lot in this area, despite the party losing the elections.

Negotiations between the two parties have entered a week that the negotiating parties describe as crucial, as the two sides will discuss the remaining disagreements.

One negotiator described the government negotiations as having still a long way to go before a solution to the remaining disagreements is reached.

However, the rapid economic developments in Germany due to a potential trade war with the United States have prompted voices within the Merz party to call for a speedy government formation.

Thorsten Frei, the executive director of parliamentary affairs for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said that there is a need for an agreement on a coalition government, now, and quickly, in order to pull the country out of the recession, achieve economic growth, and create greater security.

He described the rise of the far-right party as painful, adding that the only way to confront this rise is to move decisively to form a government.