The conservatives of Germany's designated chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) formally signed their coalition contract on Monday, May 5, on the eve of launching their new government. Merz, 69, is set to be sworn in as the new leader of Europe's biggest economy on Tuesday, ending half a year of political paralysis in Berlin.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance of Merz and their future junior partners, the SPD, have vowed to revive the ailing economy and rebuild the military at a time when US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on the future of transatlantic security and trade ties.
Merz has also vowed to curb irregular migration and halt the rise of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which took second place in February's snap general election. The AfD was designated a "right-wing extremist" party by Germany's domestic intelligence service on Friday – a move that has stoked a fresh row with the Trump administration, and against which the AfD launched legal action on Monday.
US Vice President JD Vance described the AfD, which like Trump has campaigned against immigration, as "the most popular party in Germany." Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the German intelligence agency's move "tyranny in disguise." Since February's election, the AfD has been running neck-and-neck with the CDU/CSU in opinion polls, and occasionally leading.
Merz, who boasts a strong business background but has no experience in a government leadership post, at Monday's signing ceremony pledged "strong, well-planned and dependable governance." "We live in times of profound change, of profound upheaval ... and of great uncertainty, and that is why we know that it is our historic obligation to lead this coalition to success," he said.
The 144-page coalition contract entitled "Responsibility for Germany" lays out a policy roadmap for the next four years of the coalition between the country's two traditional big-tent parties. The chancellor-in-waiting said the incoming government "is determined to move Germany forward with reforms and investments" and also promised "a government whose voice is heard in Europe and the world." His first trip on Wednesday will take him to Paris.
The SPD's Lars Klingbeil, the designated vice chancellor and finance minister, said that "the new government needs real teamwork more than ever." Klingbeil said the priority must be to strengthen the economy, which shrank for the past two years, while SPD co-chair Saskia Esken emphasised the need to restore "trust in democracy." CSU leader Markus Soeder, Bavaria's state premier, said the new government must start "full-steam ahead" and "convince through performance."