Coalition talks: Martin Schulz to let grassroots decide
November 24, 2017
The SPD leader has said he hopes to let all party members decide if the Social Democrats should stay in government. The party is under increasing pressure to help form a government.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kumm
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Martin Schulz has said that he wants normal party members, instead of SPD leadership, to decide if the Social Democrats should be in government for another four years.
Leading figures from Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) held overnight talks but it is still unclear whether they will back down from their opposition to a renewed coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU)
SPD General Secretary Hubertus Heil said the party would not 'rule itself out' of talks out of respect for the German president, without explaining what the aim of talks would be
"The SPD will not rule itself out of talks," said General Secretary Hubertus Heil after eight-hour overnight talks at party headquarters. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas of the SPD added the party "could not behave like a stubborn child."
Later, party leader Martin Schulz said that he wanted normal party members to decide if they wanted the party to be in government again, eschewing control by the party elite.
A growing number of voices in the party are thought to be calling for a third "grand coaltion" with the CDU/CSU since 2005 if all else fails.
Why is the SPD under pressure now? After a poor election result in September, Schulz called on his party to take up the role of chief opposition. But with the failure of talks between the Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) at the weekend, the political focus has narrowed on the SPD to take some part in government — perhaps by not voting against a conservative-led minority government or by forming another grand coalition.
What happened during the day? Schulz met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday afternoon. Steinmeier is a former SPD lawmaker and foreign minister. His current duties include the facilitation of a coalition government and he is keen to avoid a fresh election. SPD member and German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel also attended the talks with Steinmeier.
Schulz then headed to SPD headquarters to discuss the options with party heavyweights, including several state premiers. The meeting continued late into the night, with take-away pizza being ordered to help keep the discussions going. Heil said talks were constructive and that the SPD leadership was "close to consensus."
Germany's colorful coalition shorthand
Foreign flags and even traffic lights are used to describe the various coalitions that emerge in German elections. Coalitions are common under Germany's proportional representation system.
Image: Getty Images
'Traffic light' coalition — Red, Yellow, Green
Since 2021 Germany has been governed by a center-left coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), ecologist Greens, and free-market-oriented neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP), whose color is yellow. They started out as a self-declared "Fortschrittskoalition" (progress coalition) but got mired in infighting along the way.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/J.Büttner
Black-red coalition
The Conservative's black combined with transformative red is the color code when the Christian Democrats govern in a "grand coalition" with the Social Democrats. This combination of Germany's two big tent parties, was in power for eight years until 2021, led by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Image: picture-alliance/R. Goldmann
'Pizza Connection' — precursor to Black and Green
When Bonn was still Germany's capital, conservative and Greens lawmakers started meeting informally in an Italian restaurant, in what became known as the 'Pizza Connection.' At the regional level, Baden-Württemburg's Greens-CDU coalition has governed since 2016 and Germany's most populous state of North-Rhine Westphalia has had a Black-Green government since 2022.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'Jamaica' option — black, yellow and green
A three-way deal between the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), the Greens and the neoliberal Free Democrats FDP), whose color is yellow did not come about at national level in 2017 after the FDP called off talks. It has been tested at a state level, where Schleswig-Holstein had a "Jamaica" government until they went Black-Green in 2022.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/dpaweb
Black, Red, Green — like Kenya's flag
The eastern German state of Saxony has been governed by a coalition of CDU, SPD and Greens, headed by the state's popular Premier Michael Kretschmer. He is hoping to be able to stay in power despite the rise of the right-wing extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) which is campaigning on an anti-immigrant and anti-NATO agenda.
Image: Fotolia/aaastocks
The Germany coalition — Black, Red and Yellow
The eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt has been governed by a coalition led by the CDU's popular Premier Rainer Haseloff. He has teamed up with the SPD and the FDP. The alliance of unlikely bedfellows was the only viable option to ward off the threat by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Image: Hoffmann/Caro/picture alliance
Black and Orange
Since 2018 Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) has been governing with the Free Voters (FV), whose color is Orange. The FV is a grass-roots populist and far-right-leaning party and is led by its controversial chairman Hubert Aiwanger. Strong in rural areas of southern and eastern Germany, the Freie Wähler is seeking a larger role at the national level and currently has three MEPs.
Image: Privat
Blackberry coalition
In graphics showing opinion polls, the new Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) is shown in violet. That may be fitting, as it combines socialist, far-left (red) with populist right wing (blue) ideas in its platform. Although the party was only founded in 2024, it is doing so well in the eastern German states that it may well be asked to join coalition governments. Possibly led by the CDU (Black).
Image: Oliver Berg/dpa/picture alliance
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What happens next? The SPD is now mulling whether or not to change their stated course of opposition. The options are:
Entering a grand coalition that would have a significantly reduced majority from the previous administration that governed from 2013-2017
Supporting a Merkel-led minority government
Accepting fresh elections
That decision could be taken by the leadership, by the party conference at the beginning of December, or be put to a vote among grass-roots members.
SPD-politician Johannes Kahrs: SPD should consider all options
