Kingmakers to hold talks for govt under centre-left’s Scholz

IF SUCCESSFUL, IT WILL SEND OUTGOING ANGELA MERKEL’S BLOC INTO OPPOSITION AFTER 16 YEARS AT THE HELM

FRANKFURT: Germany’s Greens and the liberal FDP party said on Wednesday they wanted to try to form a coalition government with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), dealing a blow to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives.

The move brings the Social Democrats’ Olaf Scholz a step closer to the chancellery after 16 years of Merkel’s centre-right-led government.

The political upheaval in Europe’s biggest economy was unleashed by last month’s general election which Scholz’s party won with 25.7%, followed by Merkel’s CDU-CSU bloc at 24.1%.

For either party to head the next German government it would need the support of the centre-left Greens and the probusiness Free Democrats (FDP), which came third and fourth.

Despite leading the conservatives to their worst-ever election result, beleaguered CDU leader Armin Laschet insisted he still has a shot at the top job.

Speaking to reporters, Laschet said the conservatives “respect the decision” by the two kingmaker parties to pursue a coalition with the SPD.

But the CDU-CSU is “still ready to hold talks,” he said.

CSU leader Markus Soeder however gave a more sobering assessment, saying the possibility of a CDU-CSU government had essentially been “rejected”.

The conservative bloc must now prepare itself for a stint in opposition after four Merkel-led coalitions, Soeder said. “This will change our country.”

Recent surveys suggest most Germans want Scholz, who is also finance minister and vicechancellor, to become the next leader of Europe’s top economy.

Green co-leader Annalena Baerbock said that after preliminary discussions with the SPD and CDU-CSU, the Greens “believe it makes sense” to focus on a tie-up led by the Social Democrats.

Baerbock said Germany faced “great challenges” and needed “a new beginning”.

“This country can’t afford a lengthy stalemate,” she said.

The FDP said it had accepted the Greens’ proposal to move on to formal exploratory coalition talks with the SPD.

The first such three-way talks will start on Thursday, FDP leader Christian Lindner said.