It is a marriage of convenience that is in the making: The center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and their Bavarian "sister party" the Christian Social Union (CSU) won the February election.

However, to have a majority in the new parliament — which would then vote in Friedrich Merz as chancellor — they need the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), who have been governing under Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the past three years.

But the SPD is driving a hard bargain. Germany's oldest party suffered a historic election defeat: At only 16% they landed in third place, behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Since then, the mood in the SPD has been grim. In the new Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, the party only has half as many seats as it previously had. Nevertheless, it is insisting that coalition negotiations be conducted "on equal footing," as SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch put it.

The Social Democrats are displaying a certain defiance, but also the self-confidence that comes from knowing that they........

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