The new German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, stated in a press conference that he is negotiating to form a broad governing coalition.
His plans include cooperation with the left-wing SPD party. Merz also called on the United States to develop close relations and urged the European Union to act swiftly in organizing its own defense.
“Together with the 120 seats held by the Social Democrats, our 328 seats out of a possible 630 mean that we are, of course, in a position to form a government, a red-black coalition. And this is exactly what we want. I have also received full support from the party leadership, and the CDU will continue discussions in the Federal Executive Committee over the next few days. We have already had one or two conversations with each other.
In response to statements made in Washington last week, it is clear that we Europeans must be able to act very quickly and also need to organize our defensive capabilities swiftly. This is an issue of absolute priority in the coming weeks. We must talk about it. The second major issue, as you all know, is migration, and the unresolved proposal on this issue is on our table. I still hope that we can convince the Americans that it is in our mutual interest to continue having good transatlantic relations. But, as always, you must also face the worst-case scenario. If those who truly make “America First” their motto dominate, almost exclusively America, then it will be difficult. But I remain hopeful that we will succeed in preserving transatlantic relations,” said Merz.
