Explorations according to the choice: constructive, factual, confidential

There was a lot of exploration over the weekend, but the outcome for the formation of a government is still open. The SPD and Union campaigned for themselves. The potential partners showed sympathy for their desired alliances, but remained vague.

Awakening, renewal, change, whatever heading a later coalition will use, the motto of the explorations was in any case constructive and objective. And above all: very confidential. Three exploratory rounds every two hours. First the SPD with the FDP, then the SPD with the Greens, and then the Union with the FDP. After the meeting, all sides emphasized that they wanted a new start for Germany. But everyone kept a low profile in front of cameras and microphones.

“I ask for your understanding that we will again not say what was to be eaten or which individual aspects were discussed,” said Annalena Baerbock, the Greens chief. “We have agreed that we will keep the content confidential,” said CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak. SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil also insisted on the agreed confidentiality and also said it was “constructive and very objective”.

The most talkative was Volker Wissing, General Secretary of the FDP. After the round of talks with the Union, he spoke of “few cliffs in terms of content”. In the case of the SPD, he later emphasized the contradictions: “It is clear that there are cliffs” and that there are “important points” apart.

CSU general secretary is “in the mood for more”

Paul Ziemiak from the CDU and Markus Blume, Secretary General of the CSU, were happy to hear this. Especially Blume went to extremes to ensnare the FDP and perhaps still lure them over to the Union. He spoke of a “good start that makes you want more”. In essential points, the Union and the FDP are “very close together”.

FDP leader Christian Lindner had previously expressed serious doubts as to whether the Union could be a reliable partner at all. “The CDU and CSU must clarify whether they really want to lead a government,” he had given the quarreling sisters via the “Bild” newspaper.

SPD is ready for three-way talks

Then better with us, SPD General Secretary Klingbeil may have thought. Separately, with the Greens and the FDP individually, enough has now been explored, he said: “The SPD is now ready for three-way talks.”

It was noticeable how Greens leader Robert Habeck described the relationship with the SPD. At first he emphasized that, unlike his party and the FDP, it was jointly responsible for the government’s work to date – but then he added: “We have also found a willingness in the SPD and found that we should actually start all over again, with a dynamic that can then perhaps solve the remaining problems. ”

Another round on Tuesday

This Monday is expected to be a kind of intermediate day without publicly known dates, the Monday meetings of the party committees do not take place this week. But another exploratory round is due on Tuesday, this time between the Union and the Greens. Then it should be decided whether further talks are required or whether decisions are made towards formal coalition talks. Only in such formal negotiations would the contract details be negotiated either for a traffic light coalition of the SPD, Greens and FDP or for a so-called Jamaica alliance of the Union, Greens and FDP.

The decisions of the Greens and the FDP for a three-party alliance with one of the two larger partners is also under the impression of the quarrels in the Union after its electoral defeat. The Union crashed to 24.1 percent in the federal election, the SPD had become the strongest force with 25.7 percent. The Greens came in number three with 14.8 percent. Behind was the FDP with 11.5 percent.

Union is grappling with consequences

Since then, a dispute has raged within the Union about the consequences and Laschet as a leader. More and more politicians from the CDU and CSU are calling for a new structure in terms of content and personnel. Above all, it seems questionable whether this should be carried out immediately or depending on whether the government can still be saved.

The CDU politician Norbert Röttgen defended the Union’s move to go into explorations with the Greens and the FDP with Laschet. In the ARD broadcast Anne Will he said no when asked whether Laschet should have resigned immediately after the election defeat. “That would have been wrong,” said Röttgen, who is considered one of those who want to overthrow Laschet in order to move up himself. Resigning would have been wrong because it was not yet clear who could form a government – the SPD, the Greens and the FDP or the Union in a Jamaica alliance. “If that is not the case, the Union has an obligation to hold talks,” he said – “with the staff who were elected,” that is, Laschet.