German chancellor Angela Merkel gave a boost to Social Democrat Olaf Schulz on Wednesday by congratulating him on his victory in the legislative elections., while a An alliance between the center-left, greens and liberals.

Counselor that prepares for He retired from politics after 16 years in powerAnd He spoke for the first time since his squad’s historic defeat on Sunday, in a short statement.

Congratulations Olaf SchulzCenter-left leader and deputy chancellor of the outgoing government, for his “success” in the legislative elections, where The SPD was slightly ahead of the conservative CDU/CSU, with 25.7% of the vote.

Congratulations have been sent His press office said Monday, the day after the election.

This is Wednesday Also, Armin Laschet congratulated himAccording to anonymous sources in his party. But Laschet still wants to form a government with the support of the Liberals and the Greens.

under pressure

since the elections, Criticism is mounting among conservatives for their leader’s stubbornness in wanting to lead a coalition., despite the fact that the center-right received only 24.1% of the vote, and remained in second place, with a decline of nearly 9 points compared to 2017.

Merkel cut her distances on Wednesday, A day after the unpopular Laschet was abandoned by his Bavarian allies in one form or another.

“It’s clear that Olaf Schultz has a better chance of being a consultant at the moment.”said its leader, Marcus Soder. But Laschet, a native of the Rhineland known for his toughness, does not want to back down.

On Tuesday, at the meeting of his parliamentary group, He apologized for the disappointing election result, but at the same time stressed that “no one has the right to declare themselves the main winner”, according to several German media.

More and more observers They doubt that it can last longer.

“I don’t think Armin Laschet will survive this week”, FDP Vice President said, Wolfgang Kubicki. “The pressure is building,” he said.

for this part, The Social Democrats reiterated their call for a swift coalition formation with the Green Party and the Free Democratic Partywho received 14.8% and 11.5% of the vote, respectively.

The two formations should be “cautious enough to accept our offer to quickly start exploratory talks” with the goal of establishing an alliance.said Rolf Mutzenich, who was re-elected head of the SPD’s parliamentary group on Wednesday.

Beat the differences

leaders The Greens and the Free Democratic Party, which will have the most influence in forming the government, met on Tuesday for the first time since the election to determine potential points of agreement., with the aim of later negotiating with the Christian Democratic Union or, more likely, with the Social Democratic Party.

The meeting was immortalized by a selfie, posted on Instagram, Among the four participants, co-leaders of environmental scientists Robert Habeck and Annallina Barbock, FDP leader Christian Linder and Secretary General Volker Wesing.

The message seems clear: They feel that they can “overcome their differences”, especially in matters of budget and finances.

The Liberals oppose any tax return on big wealth He is defended by the Green Party, but also by the Social Democratic Party.

This first formal contact will be followed by another Big meeting on Friday, The two small parties announced. And on Sunday The first negotiations, with both the Conservative Union and the Social Democratic Party.

The Liberals try not to reveal their preferences, Although they are ideologically closer to the center-right

On the contrary Annala Barbuk. “We have received a clear contract to renew our country,” he said on Wednesday, explaining that the Greens had therefore prioritized “first” to talks with the FDP and the SPD.

(Isabelle Le Page – Agence France-Presse)

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