After the election defeat for Germany's social democratic federal chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday, the victorious Christian democrat Friedrich Merz will today begin sounding out for a new government.
The talks with the social democratic SPD will take place without Scholz, according to German media. Instead, the party will be represented by leader Lars Klingbeil and eight other heavyweights. For the Christian democratic CDU/CSU, in addition to Merz, among others, the Bavarian state premier Markus Söder will negotiate.
The expectations of the outside world for a swift government formation are high, emphasizes Merz. Question marks over the US's reliability as an ally have led other European countries to hope for more prominent leadership in Berlin.
The country now needs a new economic policy, a new migration policy, and a new security policy, said CSU top Dorothee Bär, who is sitting at the negotiating table, to TT on election evening.
She then called the SPD "the lesser evil" alternative to form a government with.
