Olaf Scholz gets out of a car as he arrives for a session of exploratory talks with leading members of the social democratic SPD party, the Greens and the free democratic FDP party on Oct 15, 2021 in Berlin. (CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP / GETTY IMAGES)
Finance Minister Olaf Scholz cleared a major hurdle in his bid to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor, securing a preliminary commitment from his prospective partners to form a three-way coalition government.
His Social Democratic party, the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats on Friday agreed on the basic principles for a ruling alliance. The accord came remarkably quickly by German standards, with joint talks starting just a week ago. The parties will begin formal negotiations to hammer out the details as early as next week.
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The three-way combination, while messy, is Germany’s most viable governing alliance, and the parties have been under pressure to find compromises on issues from spending and taxes to climate protection and social policy
Scholz said the parties managed to bridge differences to unleash Germany’s biggest industrial renewal in a century, including accelerating its exit from coal and modernizing manufacturing. To achieve the breakthrough, the SPD and the Greens accepted the FDP’s demands to leave constitutional debt limits intact and not impose new taxes. The Greens also abandoned a push to limit speeds on the Autobahn.
“This is a very good result,” Scholz said at a press conference in Berlin, flanked by his counterparts from the other parties. “It makes clear that Germany can form a government that can achieve progress, progress that’s possible and necessary in many, many areas.”
The three-way combination, while messy, is Germany’s most viable governing alliance, and the parties have been under pressure to find compromises on issues from spending and taxes to climate protection and social policy.
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The parties will now deliberate internally on the accord, with the Greens holding a small convention on Sunday. Formal coalition talks, which will include haggling over ministry posts, are expected to start as early as next week.
While disputes are still possible, proceeding to coalition negotiations is a critical step in Germany’s complex process of transferring power. It shows the parties see enough common ground and makes it more likely that a Scholz-led government can start running Europe’s largest economy before the end of the year.
