With a coalition agreement finally reached, Angela Merkel’s grand coalition is now in the hands of SPD members

Following lengthy negotiations in the aftermath of September’s German federal elections, a coalition agreement was finally reached last week. Patricia Hogwood assesses the gains and losses for the leading party of government, the CDU/CSU, and their prospective coalition partner, the SPD. She writes that the vague wording of the coalition contract and a raft of transitional measures, selective application and conditions mean that both parties can stake a claim to being the ‘party of social justice’ – the issue of greatest concern to the voting public. However, with Angela Merkel at the helm, key cabinet positions and future policy strategy are likely to remain in the hands of the CDU.