Susanne Holl says no chance for a coalition of the Left in German (Eurointelligence, 27 August 2013)

In an editorial in Suddeutsche, Susanne Holl writes about the scenario in which the German elections resulted in neither a straight win for the current coalition, nor in a win by the SPD and the Greens. In that case, the certain outcome is another grand coalition. Speculation about a coalition between the SPD, the Greens, and the Left Party is completely wild. Peer Steinbruck and Sigmar Gabriel, SPD chairman, are both against it. Even if the SPD had a leader crazy enough to entertain the idea of a coalition with a party that has rejected all euro crisis decisions by the Bundestag, he would lose so much support from within his own ranks that he could not govern. The party's future would be at risk. The risks association with a coalition that included the Left Party are far more immense than those associated with another grand coalition.

There is a debate, including among editorialists in Suddeutsche, about what will happen if the elections were to bring an indecisive result. We agree with Holl only in respect of what is likely to happen - the SPD will not enter into a formal coalition with the Left party, having explicitly ruled out this option before. We are less certain about a minority government. And we disagree with her assertion that the euro crisis separates the parties of the Left. All three parties essentially agree on the causes of the crisis. They disagree on the tactics of how to confront Angela Merkel. But they have more in common with each other than they have with the CDU or the FDP.