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German governing coalition

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In Germany's federal electoral system, coalition governments are a potential outcome in the Bundestag.[1] As German political parties are often associated with particular colors, coalitions are frequently given nicknames based on the colors included.[2][3] Prominent political parties in Germany are the CDU/CSU (black;  ), the SPD (red;  ), the Greens (green;  ), the Left (also red, usually depicted with magenta;  ), the AfD (blue;  ), and the FDP (yellow;  ).[4]

History

It is rare for either the Christian Democratic Union of Germany together with their partners the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CDU/CSU), or the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), to win an unqualified majority in a national election. Thus, at the federal level, governments are formed with at least two parties. For example, Helmut Kohl's CDU governed for years in coalition with the Free Democratic Party (FDP); from 1998 to 2005 Gerhard Schröder's SPD was in power with the Greens; and from 2009 to 2013 Angela Merkel, CDU/CSU was in power with the FDP.

"Grand coalitions" of the two large parties also occur, but these are relatively rare, as large parties usually prefer to associate with small ones. However, if none of the larger parties can receive enough votes to form their preferred coalition, a grand coalition might be their only choice for forming a government. This was the situation in Germany in 2005 when Angela Merkel became Chancellor: in early elections, the CDU/CSU did not garner enough votes to form a majority coalition with the FDP; similarly the SPD and Greens did not have enough votes to continue with their formerly ruling coalition. A grand coalition government was subsequently forged between the CDU/CSU and the SPD. Partnerships like these typically involve carefully structured cabinets. The CDU/CSU ended up holding the Chancellery while the SPD took the majority of cabinet posts. Parties frequently make statements ahead of elections which coalitions they categorically reject, similar to election promises or shadow cabinets in other countries.

In Germany, coalitions rarely consist of more than two parties (CDU and CSU, two allies which always form the CDU/CSU caucus, are in this regard considered a single party). However, in the 2010s coalitions at the state level increasingly included three parties, often FDP, Greens and one of the major parties or "red-red-green" coalitions of SPD, Left and Greens. By 2016, the Greens have joined governments on the state level in eleven coalitions in seven various combinations.[5]

In December 2021, following the September German general elections, a traffic light coalition (SPD, FDP, and Greens) led by Olaf Scholz took power in Germany, the first time a three-party coalition had formed the federal government.[6]

Possible combinations

Possible coalitions include:

Due to the general non-cooperation between the AfD and all other parties, hypothetical coalitions involving the AfD are rarely discussed. A coalition of CDU/CSU, AfD and FDP would have a majority in the 20th Bundestag but was not seriously discussed publicly by either media or politicians and as thus it does not have a common nickname despite the Flag of the Bahamas being composed of the colors these parties use for themselves and the term being used as early as 2013.[7][8] However, this coining of the term by right wing newspaper Welt owned by Axel Springer SE was made fun of by the left wing newspaper Die Tageszeitung.[9] Other coalitions involving the AfD are considered even more unlikely due to having to overcome lack of parliamentary majority, lack of even remote ideological compatibility and the issue of breaking political taboos in even discussing the formation of such a coalition.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Reuters (2021-09-27). "Factbox: German "traffic light" coalition seen as most likely". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2021-09-28. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ Gehrke, Laurenz (2021-09-27). "What are the coalition options after Germany's election?". POLITICO. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  3. ^ "German voters face a bewildering array of possible coalitions". The Economist. 2021-09-04. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  4. ^ "The many colours of German coalitions". The Economist. 2021-03-13. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  5. ^ Jungjohann, Arne (2017). German Greens in Coalition Governments. A Political Analysis (PDF). Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union and Green European Foundation. p. 19. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-08-28. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  6. ^ Hauptmeier, Carsten (2021-11-25). "First ever three-party alliance". deutschland.de. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  7. ^ "Bundestagswahl: Das Gespenst einer Bahamas-Koalition geht um". Die Welt. 8 September 2013.
  8. ^ ""Bahamas-Koalition": Opposition wittert Bündnis zwischen Union und AfD". Die Welt. 11 September 2013.
  9. ^ "Bahamas-Koalition".
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