Mario Nawfal
🚨🇩🇪 SPD TO CDU: DROP AfD ALLIANCE OR FORGET A COALITION Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) have a clear message for the Christian Democrats (CDU): No coalition unless CDU leader Friedrich Merz changes his approach and distances himself from AfD-backed policies. SPD co-leader Lars Klingbeil: "Our expectations are clear, we would like to see from Merz to clearly change his course and also his tone and, and demonstrate how we can work together in these difficult times. The ball is now in Friedrich Merz's court, he has the task of forming a government, he is going to meet with us, he will also make offers as to what the future of our country would look like and we have clear expectations as Social Democrats." CDU/CSU won 28.5% of the vote, while SPD got 16.4%. Together, they could form a government—but only if they agree on key issues like pensions, investments, and economic growth. Merz wants a deal before Easter (April 20-21), but SPD isn’t budging. Source: ZDF
Mario Nawfal
🇩🇪 MERZ SCRAMBLES TO FUND GERMANY’S MILITARY BEFORE NEW PARLIAMENT SLAMS THE BRAKES Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, is racing to lock in more defense spending before liberal and conservative lawmakers—who now hold a blocking minority—can shut it down after March 24. His workaround? Sneaking a vote through the current parliament while it still has the numbers to approve it. Options include a new military fund, expanding the €100 billion ($105 billion) defense budget, or bending borrowing rules. The urgency? Trump is pushing Europe to handle Ukraine’s security, and Germany’s military isn’t exactly in top shape. Source: Bloomberg
