No government in Germany as Social Party undermines Merkel

Hani Daniel

BERLIN – Germany continues to be a country without a government, despite efforts made by German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to push political parties to form one.

The Christian Democratic Union, headed by Angela Merkel, and the Social Democratic Party are, meanwhile, expected to start negotiations on the formation of the government on January 7th.

The two parties agreed to conclude the negotiations on January 12th, six days after their expected start date.

The German weekly news magazine, Der Spiegel, ran an article recently in which it said Germany remained far from a coalition government, three months after elections were held in the country.

The magazine even claimed that Germany’s influence within the European Union is about to totally diminish.

German Finance Minister, Peter Altmaier, plays the role of the international diplomat, but when he is asked about the time the new government will be formed, like he was asked recently in Brussels, he fails to present an answer.

Altmaier had to describe the constitutional situation in Germany as a “complicated” one. He added that the formation of the government would take some time, even as Merkel’s party and the Social Democratic Party negotiated to form one.

Some observers used to view Germany’s democratic model as exemplary and trustworthy just like German automobiles and machines. Nonetheless, the general elections which were held on September 24th shattered all these perceptions.

The acting German cabinet manages the affairs of the European state very perfectly, but problems might arise if the vacuum continues to persist.

International affairs expert, Matthias Kamper, said Merkel wants to keep the image she formed in the minds of the Germans and the Europeans over the past years intact, even as she failed in making a great victory in the parliamentary elections.

Merkel, he said, bet on her political history in her attempts to form a government.

However, the rise of the far right and the ambitions of the leader of the Social Democratic Party turned into insurmountable stumbling blocks on Merkel’s road, Kamper said.

This is why I think, Kamper said, the six days set out by the leader of the party as a duration for forming the government is probably a new maneuver on his part to undermine Merkel and or make snap elections the only way out.