FT: FDP Under Pressure To Join SPD-Green Coalition Talks

Guy chazan at the FT tweets: "Germany's FDP now under maximum pressure to show their cards after Greens publicly announced they favour talks on a coalition with SPD and FDP. Liberals making a statement at 11am German time [0500ET, 1000BST]."

• CDU's grip on power seen to be waning as talks with Greens yesterday, although deemed 'constructive and objective' by Green leader Annalena Baerbock, came alongside polls showing strong public support for the SPD's Olaf Scholz to become chancellor (52% of respondents).
• The Forsa poll showed 80% of respondents wanted to see CDU head Armin Laschet resign following his party's worst-ever performance. Even among CDU/CSU voters the number supporting his resignation stood at 70%. Just 9% of voters want to see Laschet as chancellor according to the poll.
• It should be noted that due to complex coalition negotiations, parties that appear unlikely to enter gov't can end up doing so. Following the 2017 election (in which the SPD recorded a particularly poor result after 4 years in a grand coalition with the CDU) it was assumed the party would go into opposition. However, following the breakdown of Jamaica coalition (CDU-Green-FDP) talks, the grand coalition was re-formed.
• The Forsa poll shows that even if the CDU can form a majority gov't, 64% of respondents and 66% of CDU/CSU voters would prefer to see CSU head and Bavarian Minister-President Markus Soeder as chancellor rather than Laschet.