It has been 12 weeks since Chancellor Angela Merkel won a national election that offered her a fourth term as head of the German government. Unfortunately, her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was unable to form a ruling coalition after weeks of talks with two other small parties. It now appears that the CDU's former governing partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), has reversed course and is prepared to discuss a coalition with the CDU. This is a hopeful development for Germany, Europe and the world. We need a functioning government in Berlin.
The CDU's victory in the September ballot was no surprise. The evisceration of the SDP, which had been Germany's second-largest party and a historical alternative to the CDU, was a shock. When the dust had cleared, it retained its position as the top opposition party but the SPD had lost 40 seats in its worst-ever election performance. Convinced that partnership in a "grand coalition" with the CDU had alienated the party base and cost it credibility among independent voters, party leader Martin Schulz vowed to stay out of any future coalition government, reasoning that opposition would allow the party to forge a coherent identity and position it to better contest the next national ballot.
The SPD's refusal to join a government forced Merkel to explore a coalition with three parties: the CDU, the Greens and the pro-business Free Democratic Party. Those talks broke down last month over differences on immigration and energy policy. That prompted the SPD to reverse course and agree to talks with the CDU over the terms of a coalition. The U-turn reflected sentiment among SDP members — one poll showed 68 percent favored a new grand coalition — as well as divisions among the leadership and pressure from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a former SPD foreign minister, to consider a coalition. Talks will begin this week to explore guiding principles and forms of cooperation, but a final vote on cooperation will be made by the party's membership, which will hold a congress Jan. 14.