A German politician, Ralf Stegner, has questioned the ability of the CDU’s leader, Friedrich Merz, to lead Germany, stating that his behavior in recent weeks has not made it easier to negotiate a government coalition with the SPD.
Stegner, a member of the SPD in the German Bundestag, made these comments in an interview with the Handelsblatt, citing the CDU’s recent passage of an asylum seeker rejection bill with the support of the AfD, a party considered to be right-wing extremist by some. He also criticized Merz’s remarks at the CDU’s election campaign closing event in Munich, where the CDU leader stated that he would not make politics for “green and left-wing eccentrics in this world”.
Stegner does not see a black-red coalition as a given and emphasized that the SPD will not be pressured by the CDU. He expects the party’s base to be involved in any potential negotiations with the CDU and that a member’s decision would be the determining factor in evaluating the outcome of such talks. According to Stegner, the process will not be a “walk in the park”.