Friedrich Merz to lead Germany as CDU, Social Democrats form coalition

• Friedrich Merz is expected to become the next chancellor from CDU, replacing Olaf Scholz after the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the left Social Democrats with the left center have agreed to form a coalition government.
• The coalition has already progressed plans for increased investment in defense and investment in infrastructure, which marked the shift in the CDU fiscal attitude.
• The deal accelerated international tensions, including US tariffs and doubts about the Transatlantic Association, as well as the domestic political pressure of growing extreme right support and economic stagnation in Germany.

Conservative and central left parties reached an agreement to form a new German government on Wednesday after weeks of negotiations, running the way for a new leadership in the largest European economy after months of political disposal.

Friedrich MerzThe leader of the Christian Democratic Union is expected to become the next German leader under the agreement, replacing the departing chancellor Olaf Scholz. The parties included sent an invitation to a press conference on a coalition agreement at 15:00 (1300 GMT).

Merz’s double -sided union block appeared as the strongest force from the election of Germany on February 2nd. Merz turned to the Social Democrats, the Scholz Party to the left, to compile a coalition with a parliamentary majority.

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Waiting is not over yet

It will be a little time before Parliament can choose Merz as a chancellor, maybe in early May. Before this may happen, the Coalition Agreement will need approval in the voting list of membership members in Social Democrats and the Merz CDU Convention.

The details of the agreement are not immediately available.

But last month, two sides were pushed by plans through parliament to enable more consumption of defense by release of strict rules on debt renewal and setting a huge infrastructure fund that is aimed at strengthening the stagnating economy.

This was approximately turning to Merz, whose party spoke against a new debt before the election without fully closed the door to future changes in the German self-native “debt brakes”.

The elections took place seven months earlier than planned after Scholz’s unpopular coalition collapsed in November, for three years to mandate, which was increasingly interfering with conflict and widespread dissatisfaction. Germany, 27-state European Union The most populous member has been in political recess ever since.

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Pressure from abroad and at home

The market turbulence caused by the announcement of US President Donald Trump about caring tariffs added pressure on the Merz Union and Social Democrats to conclude their coalition conversations.

The tariffs are threatening to add the troubles of export economys that have declined in the last two years, and growth generation will be the central task of the new government.

Increasing a suspicion of American commitment to European allies also played a decision of a potential coalition to enable Heftiier defense consumption. Merz said last month Germany And Europe must quickly strengthen its ability to defend and that “whatever needs” must also go to our defense now. “

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Another factor in the rush of the agreement was a decline in the union on public opinion polls, showing that support passed from his elections, while the extremely right alternative to Germany, which ended in a strong second in February, gained the political vacuum.

The future new coalition brings together what was traditional major German parties after World War II, but the Union’s election in February was a swan, and the Social Democrats went down to their worst post -war account in the national parliamentary elections.

Together they have 328 seats in Donji Parliament with 630 members, Bundestag.