Ulpianus

Mission [Im]possible: Forming a Coalition Government in Germany

Looking at the legislative impasse my Country experienced during the last five years, with the first president from an opposition party –ending 70 years of hegemony of the PRI-, but with a Congress dominated by the old party, it is hard to imagine the negotiations needed in Germany to agree in a government for the country during the last elections held in September of this year.

His opponent, Conservative leader Angela Merkel, led her party to a narrow victory but fell short of winning the necessary majority in the German parliament to be inaugurated as Chancellor. Then all parties had to come up with a broad coalition to govern the Country.

Of course the parties were compelled to negotiate; otherwise they would not have a head of government. But despite the fact that it may be seen as the natural thing to do, having Germany a parliamentary system where the executive branch of government depends on the support of the parliament, the previous grand coalition happened forty years ago.

Merkel is going to be Germany’s first chancellor. But the making of the agreement to form the coalition lasted five weeks, so her designation will come with big concessions for all members of the coalition.

In theory, legislators from a parliamentary system should be better negotiators than their counterparts in a presidential system. But this is probably an overstatement, because they all carry their work according to the characteristics of each legal system.

And Mexican legislators have no excuse to simply block the proposals from the executive, when legislators in Germany were able to agree to designate a new chancellor.

posted by Mastropiero @ 1:26 PM