Politics of Germany

Germany’s acting Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on March 8 that he would not be a member of the new government under conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel who will lead a coalition with his Social Democrats (SPD).

After five months without a government, members of the center-left SPD have now voted to join another coalition led by Chancellor Angela Merkel. There has been no great sense of urgency in Germany. Its economy continues to grow, and its politics remain stable. Yet, the weakness of this latest "grand coalition" is bad news for Europe and for the world.

Angela Merkel vowed to prioritise EU integration along with France and turn her attention back to global issues such as Syria as she was formally nominated to return as German chancellor, The Times writes.

Mrs Merkel, 63, sounded a note of urgency after spending about six months mired in coalition negotiations.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised on March 5 that her new government would start work swiftly and lend a strong voice to Europe, a day after she secured a coalition for her fourth term.

The European Union must develop a response to growing global political and economic pressures and this will be the spirit of an EU summit this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Feb.22

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday the European Union needed to develop a response to growing global political and economic pressures and that this would be the spirit of an EU summit this week, reported Reuters. 

Peter Tauber, secretary-general of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU party, will step down from his post for health reasons, party sources have said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants the European Union to make progress on a common asylum system, warning that member states who expect financial support from the bloc need to show solidarity when it comes to migrants too.

Social Democratic Party leader Martin Schulz announced his resignation, DPA reported. Shortly after, the party's leadership announced that it supported the chairman of the SPD parliamentary group Andrea Nahles for the post. Her candidacy will be voted on by party members on April 22.

Angela Merkel said she intends to stay in power until 2021, the end of the legislative period, as long as the Social Democrats (SPD) are on board.

"I am one of those people who sticks to what they promise," Merkel said in a TV interview with broadcaster ZDF on Sunday, cited by Politico.