It seems now the SDP will be out of the Cabinet. In this case, why don't they go to the Greens and FDP. Offer the FDP the Chancellorship (or at least more than the Union would) in exchange for significant representation in the Cabinet for the SDP and some lesser representation for their old partners the Greens? Something is better than nothing. Are their ideologies too incompatible?
Offering the FDP the chancellorship is out of the question. For a party like the SPD, who has always been the single other option of chancellorship or prime ministership in the states (the other option being the CDU) to give it up to a party they don't even really like would be a deathblow. An unconditional surrender. It would rip that party apart. Not possible at all. Not to mention that to create a government when you have just lost 11% in a general election and have the worst results since 1896 (and they were basically banned back then!)...not happening. The FDP base would ask for the party leaders heads as well.
Its also simply not possible for the SPD to give the chancellory to the FDP ... the party which wins the election (in this case the CDU) gets the task of building a government. So the SPD can't do anything, as they are not the party with the most votes.
Only if the CDU failed to put together a government which has the majority in the parliament (and doesn't wanna go the minority route) something is done about it ... I am not sure right now if that would mean re-elections or if than the SPD would get the chance.
And as was already pointed out ... SPD and CDU are a) on different sides of the policital spectrum (although these lines were watered down heavily in recent years) and b) well .. political enemies. The grand coalition back in 05 was out of necessity, cause neither party was able to build the necessary majority with a coalition. They took the lesser of two evils and entered a coalition together.
The SPD is defeated. If they don't miracoulusly turn it around within a couple of years they are pretty much done as a major party in Germany. But anything can happen ... and will usually.
Maybe we get a Pirate Chancellor next .
PS: Sorry for digging up the thread ... I was just bored.
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