The winners of the election in Germany, Friedrich Merz’s conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD), have completed preliminary talks for forming Germany’s new government, Merz told reporters on Saturday.
In Germany, where coalitions are common, governments are usually formed in two stages: parties first hold exploratory talks, then enter formal coalition negotiations.
The two parties are racing to reach an agreement before next week, hoping to push forward in Parliament a relaxation of Germany’s borrowing limits to revive growth in Europe’s largest economy and increase military spending.
Incoming Chancellor Merz wants to form a coalition quickly and has warned that “it is high time” for Europe to defend itself from an antagonistic Russia.
Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the SPD have debated issues such as immigration and welfare payments, uniting after a tough election campaign.
The parties have also discussed supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles, the Taurus, which outgoing SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposes, but Merz supports sending them to Ukraine under certain conditions.
In his introductory speech, Merz promised stricter measures to tackle illegal immigration, including the deportation of people at Germany’s borders and expanding border controls, as reported by REL.
He also said that Germany should target an economic growth rate of 1%-2% and promised a reduction in energy prices to help businesses.
