The FDP continues to take pinpricks against the Grand Coalition - and apparently already plans for its own participation in a possible new government, should the current alliance of CDU / CSU and SPD fail.

FDP party leader Christian Lindner stated in the "Tagesspiegel" that his party could elect CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in a change of government to the chancellor. But he assumes that the grand coalition will hold until 2021.

The first parliamentary executive director of the FDP parliamentary group, Marco Buschmann, referred to the party project "Ready for Government" and said to the German Press Agency: "We are thus able at any time to negotiate a government formation The point is to think: what can be achieved if one legislature leaves one more year for effective governance, what is affordable, what is more important than another? "

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Christian Lindner, Angela Merkel

If the grand coalition breaks down, perhaps because the SPD is under pressure from poor results in European and state elections this year, the Union could need new coalition partners earlier. Given the current distribution of seats in the Bundestag, only a renewed start for a Jamaican alliance would be conceivable. If there were premature new elections, a majority for black and green would be conceivable.

AKK speculates on early interim balance

Also the CDU chairman Kramp Karrenbauer expressed itself last to the further course of the less popular coalition, which could just celebrate their first birthday. She told the Rheinische Post that she was not speculating about a break in the coalition, but was concerned about its success.

At the same time, she suggested that the mid-term review should be preferred to coalition work, if required by the economic situation. "With regard to the deteriorating economy and the budget situation, it will also be about the question of whether the coalition agreement gives the right answers."

In the so-called revision clause of the coalition agreement, the Union and the SPD have agreed to draw up an interim report on their work at the halfway point of the legislative period. Actually, the review would be in the fall. "If the situation comes to a head, it may be that we need different answers in the summer," said Kramp-Karrenbauer now.

The dissatisfaction with the Chancellor

The pressure on Angela Merkel was last grown, again and again there is speculation, if she could possibly move out earlier than 2021 from the chancellery. In addition to the general dissatisfaction with the work of the Grand Coalition, there is always louder criticism of the Chancellor from within her own ranks. Thus the conservative value union urges its rapid resignation. The group also expects an early break of the coalition.

On Saturday, the Lower Saxony lawyer Tilman Kuban was also elected a new chairman of the Junge Union, which Merkel had addressed sharply in the past because of her refugee policy. (Read here why Merkel could stay longer than many believe).