From stringent media rules to meticulously controlled meals, the new coalition is leaving nothing to chance, a leaked document shows.
BERLIN — Germans take their politics seriously. So seriously, in fact, that the next government has banned selfies during the ongoing coalition negotiations.
The country’s new coalition is laying down strict rules — right down to font sizes and line spacing — to ensure the talks remain disciplined and on time.
They have also banned leaks, according to a leaked copy of the rulebook seen by POLITICO.
A confidential document outlining the coalition talks between the conservative Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party (CDU/CSU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), reveals just how different this process will be from the chaotic, leak-prone negotiations of 2021.
In Germany, coalition talks are long, messy affairs. After the 2021 election, the SPD, Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) formed an alliance known as the Ampel (traffic light) coalition — named after their party colors. To signal fresh cooperation, their leaders took a now-famous selfie, an image that quickly went viral as a symbol of unity.
But the unity didn’t last. That three-party government was soon bogged down by public infighting, policy disagreements and high-profile clashes between the fiscally conservative FDP and the more progressive SPD and Greens.
Determined to avoid a repeat, the new CDU/CSU-SPD coalition has imposed strict media controls. No press statements, no leaks and absolutely no social media snapshots. The message: This time, negotiations will be businesslike, not performative.
The document, which serves as a “playbook” for the 256 negotiators, also dictates strict rules on process. All working group results will be funneled through a central steering committee before reaching party leaders.
The rules even stretch to regulate what the negotiators will eat. If meetings are held outside party headquarters, catering must be ordered through a designated provider and invoices must be addressed only to the CDU’s federal office, which will later redistribute the costs.
Financial proposals must be documented and disputes should be settled at the lowest level possible — minimizing the high-drama fights that plagued the last government.
Even the logistics are tightly regulated. Working groups must submit their first agenda drafts by March 16 and all negotiations must conclude by March 24 at exactly 5 p.m. — no extensions, no last-minute haggling.
