Der Weg zur ersten Ampel-Koalition im Bund – rationalisierte Regierungsbildung hin- ter verschlossenen Türen 2021

• Published in: Zeitschrift für Parlamentsfragen 2022, Vol.53 (1), p.172-199
• Main Author: Siefken, Sven T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0340-1758
• DOI: 10.5771/0340-1758-2022-1-172

The formation of the traffic light coalition and the government of SPD, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and FDP after the Bundestag election in 2021 was conducted in a structured pro- cess, characterized by ongoing institutionalization compared to the past . After a short phase of preliminary talks (“Vorsondierungen”), exploratory talks (“Sondierungsgespräche”) were held in a mid-sized group . This led to official coalition negotiations of almost 300 people, conducted in a large structure with a clear division of labor in a main negotiation group (“Hauptverhandlungsrunde”) and 22 policy-specific working groups . They included a con- siderable number of party representatives from the states (“Länder”) . Compared to previous years, details in the organization of the negotiations were slightly adjusted: It was vertically flatter and horizontally more differentiated, but there was no fundamental transformation . While continuity in structures and process can be observed, the interactions changed: In 2021, they were characterized by strict confidentiality and happened largely behind closed doors . At defined steps after the exploratory talks and the coalition negotiations, results were made public in writing and given to the involved parties for decision . The stipulated way of working together in the coalition and the structure of the committee system in the new Bundestag also show continuity . Overall, a slight increase in parliamentary influence on the coalition negotiations becomes evident .