Lars Klingbeil, the new Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister from the SPD, expressed concern that Friedrich Merz’s loss in the first round of the Chancellor election today may have damaged the reputation of the new coalition among the citizens. In an interview with RTL Nachtjournal, Klingbeil said, “Today was not a good day to win trust.” However, he added, “We want to succeed and we will succeed. The Union, the SPD, Friedrich Merz and I, we will now bring far-reaching decisions for our country. And we have also promised to do this in a different style, with much less conflict than in the last government.”
Klingbeil is confident that they can regain the trust of the citizens through this path, acknowledging that it will be a difficult and challenging journey. He emphasized that CDU, CSU and SPD have worked together in a trusting manner during the coalition negotiations, laying a solid foundation. However, he also pointed out that not everyone seems convinced of this collaborative spirit and they must now work hard to earn that trust.