Germany’s ruling government coalition is already wobbling as the coalition’s junior partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), is facing an internal revolt. Some are even speculating that the government coalition could collapse sooner rather than later.
“The election of Prime Minister Friedrich Merz was only successful on the second attempt, which is considered a historic failure in the federal legislature,” writes Hungarian portal Mandiner, adding that with the SPD suffering from internal conflicts and the CDU/CSU-SDP coalition only having a majority by 13, cracks are starting to show.
Citing reports out of Euractiv, the portal says several government officials are complaining about a wing within the SPD that tends to vote against the governing parties.
AfD’s Alice Weidel issues a stark warning to Friedrich Merz:
“If the CDU commits electoral fraud against its own voters by forming a coalition with the left, the next election will come sooner than you think.
Then, we will overtake the CDU as the strongest force!” pic.twitter.com/qJ4PRki24F
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) February 24, 2025
SPD chairman, Lars Klingbeil, who also serves as vice-chancellor of Germany and minister of finance, was re-elected with only 64 percent of the votes at the Social Democrats’ party congress this past weekend, despite being the only candidate running. Sources say many were turned off by his laying the blame for SPD’s election loss to CDU at Olaf Scholz’s feet, while at the same time rising up to the position of vice-chancellor in the new Merz-led coalition government.
Klingbeil, along with Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, represents the party’s marked shift to the center, while the left-wing orientation has been pushed into the background, writes Mandiner.
There are many in the SPD’s more far-left wing who reject the CDU’s mild attempts to stem illegal immigration, with the SPD party traditionally known for its open borders stance, especially under previous chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
However, another issue is Merz’s willingness to deepen Germany’s military support of Ukraine. While Merz has so far refrained from sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine, he has said the option remains on the table.
More than 100 SPD party members signed a resolution opposing Merz’s focus on building up Germany’s defense capabilities, calling it “irrational.” Instead of pushing for more military support for Ukraine, they would prefer to enter talks with Moscow.
Germany needs to pass its first budget bill, a task that falls under Klingbeil’s remit as finance minister, and many are wondering if this will prove to be impossible. If so, it would certainly lead to further troubles for the governing coalition, given the bill’s record debt levels, largely due to the goal of increasing defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP.
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