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Germany's protracted attempt to form a new government explained

World Materials 14 December 2017 15:34 (UTC +04:00)
Germany’s Social Democrats are engaging in some creative thinking to make another four years of governing with Chancellor Angela Merkel palatable to party members
Germany's protracted attempt to form a new government explained

Germany’s Social Democrats are engaging in some creative thinking to make another four years of governing with Chancellor Angela Merkel palatable to party members, Bloomberg reports.

By suggesting a “cooperation coalition,” SPD head Martin Schulz is pivoting further away from his initial refusal to be Merkel’s junior partner. Yet, rather than a conventional government alliance, it would involve a common agenda with her Christian Democratic-led bloc on a few key policy areas only.

Merkel and Schulz sounded each other out on Wednesday evening without any apparent breakthrough. That puts SPD leaders on the spot to decide on Friday whether to begin exploratory talks on ending almost three months of political stalemate.

How a cooperation coalition would work

Dubbed “KoKo” in Germany, a cooperation coalition has never been tried and would challenge the way parties have built alliances since the federal republic was founded in 1949. Traditionally, party officials hold weeks of negotiations to forge a detailed blueprint for the government’s agenda over the next four years.

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The SPD’s coalition-lite proposal would skip the need for intricate compromise and instead focus on policies the parties can readily agree on, such as public investment in schools and broadband expansion. Contentious issues would be left to shifting parliamentary majorities, allowing the SPD to maintain its profile outside Merkel’s shadow.

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