Germany, the Same Ol’ Song
MADRID | By Luis Martí | In Germany, coalitions are frequent at all levels of government, with a degree of formalization and publicity which was minimum before (in the Adenauer Era), but which has shown an extensive “coalition contract” since 1969. The current contract, initialled on 27 November, has yet to be ratified –and it’s expected that the process will be brief where the CDU and the CSU are concerned, but not so much in the case of the SPD, which must be subject to a vote of approval by its affiliates.