BERLIN: Germany’s opposition Social Democrats have signalled their readiness to join Angela Merkel’s conservatives in a right-left ‘grand coalition’ by jettisoning a key election demand for higher taxes on the rich.
Two weeks after losing the election to Merkel, SPD leaders have stopped speaking disparagingly of becoming Merkel’s junior partners again — a thankless supporting role the SPD filled in 2005-2009 and which they blamed for a plunge in support.
However, it remains to be seen whether grassroots SPD members will back the moves towards a grand coalition, given their fears that the identity of Germany’s oldest party could erode further in a government led by the popular Merkel.
Her conservatives emerged as the dominant force on September 22 but fell short of a majority, winning 311 seats in the 630-seat parliament versus 192 for the SPD. The Greens, another potential partner for Merkel, got 63 seats and the radical Left 64.
Keeping the pressure on the SPD, Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), will meet the Greens on Thursday for exploratory talks before a second meeting with SPD leaders next Monday.
Full-scale talks with either the centre-left SPD or the Greens could begin in mid-October and last a month or more.
After a first meeting with Merkel and conservative leaders on Friday, SPD chairman Sigmar Gabriel and his allies abruptly softened their demand for higher taxes, saying it was not carved in stone if the conservatives could come up with other ways to raise funding for infrastructure, education and local councils.
“For us tax hikes are not an end in itself,” Gabriel said.
Reuters
