Berlin, March 15 – Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) remained tight-lipped after a meeting with Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz at the Chancellery on Tuesday. “There were some lively discussions and they exchanged views” said Government Spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in response to a query from the dts News Agency on Wednesday. The meeting, which lasted around an hour, did not yield further details at this time, according to Hebestreit.
“It is correct and important that the Chancellor said on election night that there will be a smooth transition” Hebestreit said. “Now, we need to wait for the formation of the next federal government.” The new Bundestag is set to convene at the end of March, at which point the current government will only be in office on a caretaker basis, the spokesman added, emphasizing that the government will remain fully operational during this period.
Hebestreit also stated that there is no phase in which the government cannot make decisions, receive visitors, or send representatives abroad, as everything is clearly regulated. The next legislative period will be discussed with those who are expected to take on responsibility in the future, the spokesman said.
Merz will not be invited to an EU summit by Scholz, Hebestreit said, adding that there will be no “government apprenticeship” or “hand-holding” in this situation. The situation is not comparable to the government transition after Merkel, as Scholz was already the Finance Minister at the time and therefore a regular participant at the G20 summit.