Thorsten Benner: Director of Berlin's Global Public Policy Institute on the outcome of Germany's snap election

Germany's conservatives are celebrating after the country's snap election. 

Friedrich Merz is most likely to become the country's next chancellor. 

His centre-right Christian Democratic Union has topped votes at just under 29%, with far-right Alternative for Germany, AFD, inching more than 20%. 

Merz must now form a coalition, but has ruled out working with AFD. 

Director of Berlin's Global Public Policy Institute, Thorsten Benner told Andrew Dickens the only option is for the CDU to govern with the outgoing Social Democrats. 

He says it's one of the better outcomes, as only a two-party coalition is necessary. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It has been a momentous twenty for ours in German
politics following these net federal elections. The Conservative Alliance is
once again the driving force, winning twenty eight point six
percent of the vote, and Frederick Metz is said to
be the new chancellor. But the question is who are
they going to form a coalition with. Thorston Benner is
the co founder and director of the Global Public Policy Institute.

(00:20):
He's in Berlin and joins us Morning to you, Thorston.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Good morning, Andrew, Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
How has it been you're in Germany. What are the
people saying?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, it depends on what the people's predilections are. Those
who love extreme right wing forces, they're over the moon
because every fifth German, more than twenty percent voarted for
a far right party, the so called alternative for Germany.
There's the rest of the population, the eighty percent, they're

(00:53):
probably less happy about this. I have lots of friends
with a migrant background. We're thinking about maybe leaving Germany.
If the AfD that established itself as the dominforce in
German politics in this election in all of Germany's East
will kind of be let into let into power. So

(01:13):
it's a sober. It's a it's a sober day for
German politics. We've had this experiment one hundred years ago
didn't go so well, so most of the population still
is not in for a rerun.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Right Well, Frederick Meetz has to form the coalition and
he has actually already said he'd like to make a
coalition with the Social Democrats. Now the problem there is
the Social Democrats had a terrible election, got their worst result,
and as you mentioned, the ad F, the Alternative for
deutsch Land party, the right wing party, had a great election.
So is Matz going to go with the Social Democrats

(01:47):
or will.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
He that's the only that's the only option, basically, because
the Christian Democrats have ruled out solemnly forming any sort
of coalition or any sort of cohabitation with the far
right Alternative for Germany, So that only leaves him one option,
that is to go with the Social Democrats, which is

(02:09):
one of the better outcomes because it's only a two
party coalition that's necessary. So it was a nail bier
in the early morning hours yesterday because because it was
unclear whether some of the parties would make the five
percent threshold in the end, two parties didn't make it,
so that allows the SPDA and Fredrich Matz to form

(02:32):
a coalition. The SBDA is not, you know, super happy
about it. They're licking their wounds. But I think given
you know, you need to look at what the security
situation Germany finds itself with the war at our doorstep,
where Donald Trump is pulling the rug from under our feet.
So we need a government that is able, that is

(02:54):
able to act, and I think in the end the
Social Democrats will not. We'll kind of get over their
grief and join a coalition, but it may not be
an easy process getting there.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
Ok, Thorston, I thank you for your time. Thorston ben
a co found a director of the Global Public Policy
Institute in Berlin. And what will be interesting is once
they form their coalition where the policies go. Because Frederick
Metz over the course of the election said that he
was going to crack down a little bit more on immigration.
And remember his party was Angela Merker's party, which had
an open immigration policy. So we'll wait to see for more.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
From early edition with Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
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