In several live interviews during and after the vote, the Deputy Director discusses potential government coalitions, the significance of the five-percent threshold and the chances for a debt brake reform
Given the current global challenges and uncertainties, Sunday’s elections in Germany were of particular interest for international media. While the first results came pouring in, Dr. Thu Nguyen spoke to Canadian public broadcaster CBC about what to look out for: “What we really need is quick coalition talks and a stable government”, the Deputy Director of the Jacques Delors Centre and expert on institutional questions said.
The five-percent threshold in the German parliament played a key role here, shifting the distribution of parliament seats drastically depending on how many parties manage to enter. For both the liberal FDP and the recently founded BSW parties, the votes came close but were eventually not sufficient – leaving a small majority for a possible two-party coalition between the conservative CDU and the social-democratic SPD.
On Monday morning, the focus shifted to the policy changes that a new government under Merz might signify. For Sky News, the main was whether the new government can fix Germany’s economy. “Friedrich Merz campaigned for the chancellorship on the position that he will come into office and turn around the economy and make radical changes to do so”, Thu Nguyen assessed in a live interview.
One major challenge is the reformation of the so-called debt brake, limiting public spending through the basic law. Asked about whether a coalition between the CDU and SPD would agree to take on this step, Thu Nguyen explained: “The problem is less with the SPD and the grand coalition, but really with the way the parliament is constituted right now and the minorities that can block a reform.”
Another important subject for the day after the elections concerned the European Union: “The previous German government has been somewhat absent in EU policy and Friedrich Merz has stated his intention to take on leadership”, Thu Nguyen responded to a question by Bloomberg in another live interview, asking whether the expected new German chancellor will perform as a leader on the European stage.
“He wants to take on the role for both himself and Germany to shape a united response to the Russian threat, but also to the policy shift in the US.”, Thu Nguyen continued, before referring back to the question of coalitions: “A lot of this would have depended on whether he has a majority for a stable government and at least in this respect, the elections allow him to have a two-party coalition. I think these are good conditions for him to take on the leadership role he wants to take on and that everyone is expecting him to take on.”
The full list of interviews given and comments made by Dr. Thu Nguyen can be found on her profile page.