Anadolu staff
28 March 2025•Update: 28 March 2025
BERLIN
Germany's likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, welcomed progress in coalition talks with Social Democrats on Friday, expressing optimism about forming a stable coalition government in the weeks ahead.
“The discussions over recent days and weeks have been marked by growing mutual trust, and I'm entering the coming days with great confidence,” Merz told a joint press conference with party leaders in Berlin.
Merz, who leads the center-right CDU/CSU alliance, said joint working groups have made progress across defense, foreign policy, and economic matters. However, he acknowledged that differences regarding migration policy still require resolution.
“There are still some specific issues that we need to discuss, but we’re moving in the right direction. In particular, we are united in our common goal of swiftly and sustainably reducing the number of irregular immigrants arriving in Germany,” he said.
Social Democratic Party (SPD) co-chair Lars Klingbeil shared the optimistic outlook, saying working groups had made substantial progress and negotiations had progressed to the party leadership level.
“We are delighted that we are now entering a decisive phase of these coalition negotiations,” he said at the press conference. Klingbeil indicated that the upcoming discussions would concentrate on tackling the nation's economic, domestic, and international challenges.
“Germany must remain competitive. We need strong economic power to secure jobs across the country. This must be a central focus of our coalition negotiations,” Klingbeil said.
“We aim to support those who work hard and contribute to our country. When citizens read the coalition agreement, they should see our clear commitment to enhancing their quality of life and making Germany both better and safer,” he added.
In Germany's February snap elections, Merz's CDU/CSU alliance secured a clear victory with 28.5% of the vote, though falling short of an outright majority.
The Social Democrats received their lowest historical result at 16.4% but have emerged as a crucial coalition partner. Together, the two parties would command 328 seats in the Bundestag—well above the 316 seats needed for a governing majority.
Merz aims to conclude coalition negotiations before the Easter holiday (April 20-21), citing pressing domestic economic challenges and growing international security concerns.
