Will German Elections Set a New Direction after Merkel?
![germany SPD candidate](/sites/default/files/styles/classic_xxsml/public/2021-09/dd-spd-2.jpg?h=eca54d00&itok=3pnwbTZF)
German voters prioritized stability in the first post-Merkel election—voting for the party who most emulated the former chancellor’s approach to government, the Social Democrats (SPD), instead of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU). What does the narrow SPD victory tell us about the German political landscape and important Western trends like populism? Ulrike Franke and Sheri Berman join Deep Dish to explain how potential coalition governments could shape German foreign policy and the relationship with the United States.
![Headshot of Sheri Berman](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumb/public/2021-02/hs_berman-sherri.jpg?h=dad40789&itok=A3Hl5T4P)
![Headshot of Sheri Berman](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumb/public/2021-02/hs_berman-sherri.jpg?h=dad40789&itok=A3Hl5T4P)
![Ulrike Franke](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumb/public/2021-09/ASPEN_190516_092.jpeg?h=8f3a81ec&itok=aV5_rCeQ)
![Ulrike Franke](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumb/public/2021-09/ASPEN_190516_092.jpeg?h=8f3a81ec&itok=aV5_rCeQ)
![Brian Hanson headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumb/public/2022-08/Hanson_Brian_WEB.jpg?h=bfced127&itok=oieB56IG)
![Brian Hanson headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumb/public/2022-08/Hanson_Brian_WEB.jpg?h=bfced127&itok=oieB56IG)
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