On Sunday, Germans go to the polls in a contest that should, for Canadians, demonstrate the risks and pitfalls of minority government.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, who heads the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is facing off against her own Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD). Since 2005, the two rivals and their respective parties have governed as part of a “grand coalition.” This unholy left-right alliance arose from Ms. Merkel's failure to secure a centre-right coalition after the last election. Seen through Canadian eyes, her coalition is the functional equivalent of a Conservative minority government supported by the New Democrats.
Today, the grand coalition is unloved. Until recently, the conventional wisdom was that Ms. Merkel would lead her party to a convincing victory, join forces with the free-market Free Democratic Party and end her unnatural alliance with the SPD. In recent days, however, the race has tightened, and the prospects for a renewed coalition have increased – echoes of 2005, when Ms. Merkel squandered a 20-point lead in the polls.
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