Overview

• The SPD membership voted 84.6% in favor of the coalition agreement with CDU/CSU, enabling Friedrich Merz to be elected chancellor on May 6.
• Lars Klingbeil has been confirmed as Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister, while Stefan Kornelius is set to become the government spokesperson.
• The coalition plans significant investments in infrastructure and defense but faces constraints from the EU’s 60%-of-GDP debt rule, with Germany already exceeding the limit.
• In Canada, Mark Carney’s Liberal Party secured a plurality in parliamentary elections, continuing as a minority government under heightened US tariff threats.
• Carney has called for national unity and pledged to renegotiate trade terms to protect Canada’s sovereignty and economic stability.