Nowa koalicja rządowa w RFN
The New Government Coalition in the FRG

Summary/Abstract: On 18 September 2005 early parliamentary election was held in the Federal Republic of Germany. It was preceded by a dynamic election campaign, focused mainly on economic problems. The poll results showed not only an indecisiveness of the German society as to the need of deep reforms of the system, but also revealed the changes that are taking place in the party system in the FRG at the beginning of the 21st century. They are connected both with a marked fall of significance of the big nationwide parties and the shortcomings of the process of the reunification of Germany. The new system of power that has emerged hampered the construction of a stable electoral coalition. Finally, after long negotiations it was decided that a government of the so-called great coalition CDU_CSU-SPD would be created. The new government received a considerable credit of social confidence, on account of memory of a similar political construction that functioned efficiently in the former FRG in the years 1966-1969. The office of chancellor was taken over by Angela Merkel who comes from the former GDR. Her remarkable political career is largely the effect of the process of building political elites in the 1990s.

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