Germany's 'other parties'

They may not be at the head of the pack, but Germany’s Liberals seem set to re-enter parliament after a disappointing result in 2013.

The FDP is polling in fourth place and leader Christian Lindner said the party would be open to entering into coalition talks with Angela Merkel’s CDU.

Lindner said:
“In a country familiar with “Schadenfreude” our comeback offers – more than ever for the Liberal Democrats – an encouraging message: after a defeat a new start is possible.”

‘Let’s think new’ was their campaign slogan – and it seems the election result could see its entry into the new governing coalition.

“The FDP – the liberal constitutional party with a European spirit – is the polar opposite to the AfD,” Lindner added.

Ahead of the election, all parties ruled out a potential coalition with the AfD. Experts predict a governing alliance between the Conservative CDU, the Liberals and The Greens seems likely. This has been nicknamed the ‘Jamaican coalition’ as the colours representing their parties feature on the Jamaican flag; black for the CDU, Green for The Greens and Yellow for the Liberals.

“Nobody can shake off their responsibility. All politicians must be ready to talk to the democratic parties on what will happen in Germany. We will take our share of the responsibility,” Greens co-chair Cem Özdemir announced.

Exit polls suggested the far-left Die Linke would receive a similar share of the votes to the Greens, although it seems they are unlikely to be asked to join a coalition with the CDU.