Merz with a big challenge: government formation is urging!

Merz with a big challenge: government formation is urging!

After the Bundestag election, Friedrich Merz faces the challenge of forming a stable government in Germany. The aim is to finish government until Easter. Despite the election defeat of the SPD, the party leader Lars Klingbeil is confident and makes demands on Merz. These include, among other things, higher wages for the working center and billion dollar investments, especially in the Bundeswehr, such as krone.at reported .

As part of their first talks on government formation, Merz and the incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz already had an exchange in the Chancellery on Tuesday. Merz emphasized that the topics were pressing and that rapid clarification in the areas of foreign and security policy, migration and economy was necessary. While he is optimistic to negotiate a coalition agreement with the Social Democrats, Klingbeil demands clear course changes from Merz. The Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, also urges financial scope for the Bundeswehr, since the defense budget has to increase to over 100 billion euros, such as Tagesschau.de reported .

dispute over the debt brake

The dispute over the debt brake is a central topic of negotiations. While SPD politician Pistorius asked an exception to adequately equip the Bundeswehr, CDU politician Thorsten Frei rejects this and sees the debt brake as crucial for a solid financial policy. CSU boss Markus Söder is willing to compromise, but recognizes the difficult negotiations, especially with regard to migration.

The next steps are scheduled: After the Hamburg election and Ash Wednesday, further exploratory talks between the Union and the SPD are planned in order to find a clear path to government formation. Merz hopes that these negotiations will begin quickly and that a sustainable coalition is launched.