Coalition with Merkel not automatic, all options open: SPD
Merkel’s camp has said the ball was in the SPD’s court.
on Thursday with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Merkel and her Bavarian ally Horst Seehofer, denied he had agreed to another grand coalition.
“I can clearly deny the media report about me having given the green light for grand coalition negotiations. This is simply wrong,” Schulz said, adding that the report appeared to be based on sources within Merkel’s conservative CDU/ CSU bloc. He added that whoever circulated such reports was damaging trust. Ties between the SPD and conservatives— still sharing power in a caretaker capacity— have already been strained this week after a conservative minister backed extending the use of a weedkiller at the European Union level against the SPD’s wishes and without its prior knowledge.
“We have a lot of options for building a government. We should talk about each of these options. That’s exactly what I will propose to the party leadership on Monday,” Schulz said.
The SPD will hold a party congress in Berlin on Dec. 7-9, where it is expected to debate its options.
Other options apart from a grand coalition include a minority conservative government—which the SPD could support on a case-bycase basis, or fresh elections. Merkel has said in the past she does not want to lead a minority government.
Merkel’s camp said the ball was in the SPD’s court.
“It’s now up to the SPD to provide clarity,” said CDU manager Klaus Schueler. “The fact that we underlined today that we are prepared to enter such talks with the SPD shows that we’re aiming to bring these talks to a successful conclusion.” Another senior member of Merkel’s Christian Democrat Union (CDU), Mike Mohring, said he was hopeful for an eventual grand coalition and expected a new government to be formed by March. Schulz, a former president of the European Parliament, is pushing for changes in Germany’s approach to the European Union and in economic and social policy.