The Bundestag meets for the first session after the election.
(Photo: imago images / Dirk Sattler)
With the constituent session of the new Bundestag this Tuesday, a remarkable change takes place. The Bundestag is getting bigger and more diverse, it no longer has any monolithic blocks.
On the other hand, it will not become more efficient or predictable – with all its advantages and disadvantages.
Sure, the biggest change is not taking place among the MPs themselves, but on the government bench. As it stands today, it is very likely that in a few weeks ministers from the SPD, Greens and FDP will be sitting where social democrats and above all politicians from the CDU and CSU have shaped the picture for many years, above all Angela Merkel.
The coalition that is being formed promises renewal and new beginnings. However, it is questionable whether it will be able to implement its goals for the full duration of the legislative period. It is enough to take a look at the parliamentary groups of the SPD and the Greens to get an idea of how difficult it will be for a traffic light coalition to agree on a common line.
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In the Green Group there are a number of new members who – in the spirit of the Fridays for Future movement – have committed themselves to the rigorous implementation of their ideal climate policy.
Parliament has to adapt to changes
The pragmatists among the Green MPs will find it difficult to strike a balance between their own people and their colleagues from the SPD and FDP.
With the Social Democrats, on the other hand, the left wing in the parliamentary group is stronger than it has been for a long time. In the course of the legislative period, this wing will gain more and more attention in order to counter what it sees as cold-hearted demands from the liberals. Olaf Scholz would not be the first chancellor to ultimately fail because of resistance from within his own ranks.
One may regret the new uncertainty. But one also has to admit soberly: The world has changed dramatically, and that cannot pass a parliament without a trace. It is unlikely that Germany will once again experience cozy years with one person as chancellor for over a decade.
The world is turning faster, parliament is becoming more colorful, processes are becoming more dynamic, and finding a majority is becoming more complex. That doesn’t go together with petrified majorities and everlasting coalitions. That doesn’t harm democracy.
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