By Annisa Essack
27:09:2021

Germany’s centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) has claimed victory in the federal election. But with the conservatives also trying to form a government, Merkel’s successor is still unclear. The SPD’s Olaf Scholz has said his party will likely enter coalition talks with the Greens and the FDP. Olaf Scholz, conservative rival Armin Laschet, remains determined to fight on, as the two parties have governed together for years.

Preliminary results gave his party a narrow election win over the conservatives, who suffered their worst-ever performance. The Greens and pro-business FDP attracted the most support from the under-30s in an election dominated by climate change and differing proposals on tackling it. The Greens made history with almost 15% of the vote, even though it was well short of their ambitions.

Radio Islam International spoke to Prof. Malte Brosig – Associate Professor in International Relations at WITS, to gain a perspective on the elections.

Responding to whether Angela Merkel would’ve increased the CDU’s chances of winning the election, Brosig said he believed she would’ve won the election as the candidate personality played a significant role in the process.

He sees Germany as a greener and more liberal country going forward, as the Social-Democrats look to form a coalition with the Greens and the FDP.

Without an outright majority, forming coalitions can be a lengthy process. Parties will usually want a coalition contract to see lots of effort being expended to create one that all parties agree and accept.

Brosig says that Angela Merkel will remain as Chancellor until a coalition and new government is formed. He added that her legacy would not be affected by the worst loss her party has experienced. He attributed her popularity to the fact that she did a good job seeing Germany through several crises over the last 16 years.

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