Overview

• The CDU/CSU partnered with the Left Party to secure a two-thirds majority for a procedural motion allowing a same-day second vote for chancellor after the first ballot failed.
• This maneuver bypassed reliance on the far-right AfD, which all involved parties deemed unacceptable for cooperation.
• Greens leaders facilitated the talks by providing contact information for Left Party officials, enabling negotiations between Union, SPD, Greens, and Left.
• CDU leaders, including Jens Spahn, maintained that the party's ban on cooperation with the Left Party remains formally intact, framing the move as a procedural necessity.
• The collaboration has sparked internal discussions within the CDU about its ideological boundaries and the practical demands of governance in a fragmented Bundestag.