BERLIN — The conservative frontrunner to become Germany’s next chancellor on Sunday signaled his openness to forming a governing coalition with center-left parties, but not the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party or the liberals.
Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the conservative candidate for chancellor, made a strategic pivot in a heated four-way televised debate, saying explicitly that he is open to coalition talks with the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens while dismissing the AfD as unviable partners.
Merz categorically ruled out working with the far-right AfD, saying “The voters will decide everything else.”
The comments came after U.S. Vice President JD Vance met on Friday with AfD chancellor candidate Alice Weidel, and in the wake of Elon Musk’s endorsement of the far-right German political party last month.
In an apparent shift, Merz also expressed skepticism over a possible coalition with the fiscally-conservative Free Democratic Party, or FDP, which is currently battling to meet the five-percent threshold needed to win seats in the Bundestag.
“I have great doubts about the FDP,” Merz said during the televised debate, which took place ahead of the Feb. 23 election.
Merz didn’t elaborate on his “great doubts” about a coalition with the FDP, but one reason could be the liberals’ unwillingness to relax Germany’s strict spending rules. Over the weekend, Merz once again expressed openness to looking at various financing options to cover an increase in German defense spending, suggesting he’d be willing to loosen fiscal restraints — a policy favored by center-left parties.
“I want to strategically ensure that we have at least two options and only need one,” Merz said in the debate Sunday. Pressed on which two options he meant, he clarified: “Possibly the Social Democrats, possibly the Greens.”
The CDU and its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), currently lead the polls at around 30 percent, making Merz the frontrunner to replace SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The AfD is in second at 21 percent.
However, with no party set to win an outright majority, coalition negotiations will be key in shaping Germany’s next government. Merz expressed confidence that productive talks would be possible after the election, saying: “I believe that the Social Democrats have understood that they cannot continue like this. I believe that the Greens have understood that they cannot continue like this.”
One significant challenge for a CDU-Green coalition is internal resistance inside the conservative alliance, particularly from CSU leader Markus Söder, the state premier of Bavaria. Söder has repeatedly ruled out working with the Greens, setting up a potential point of friction should Merz pursue this option.
While Merz avoided answering whether he would demand that Green chancellor candidate Robert Habeck, the current vice chancellor, be excluded from a potential Cabinet, he did affirm common ground with Söder. “We are in agreement that the economic policies of the current government must not continue under any circumstances,” Merz said.
For his part, Habeck dodged questions about whether he would step aside to facilitate a coalition between the Greens and the CDU/CSU.
The post Germany’s Merz again rules out coalition with far right, but opens door to center-left parties appeared first on Politico.
