Lars Klingbeil, one of the leaders of the SPD referred to Tuesday’s vote as “the result of a debate that has been going on for years” which, he said, “led to a blockade of our country and has made government work more difficult.”
Both the SPD and the conservatives scrambled to secure the support of the Greens, whose votes they needed to secure a two-thirds majority. After days of negotiations and concessions by Merz on climate and Ukraine aid, the party agreed to support the constitutional changes.
Merz needed to move fast to secure the reforms because, in the next parliament, set to convene by March 25, the Kremlin-friendly, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the Left party, which opposes military spending, will have the strength to block constitutional amendments to enable more defense expenditure.
On Friday, the Bundesrat — which represents Germany’s states — is expected to adopt the package in a final legislative step.
The biggest challenge for Merz may well involve convincing his own base of the merits of his about-face on fiscal policy. He has already come under fire from some conservatives for giving in to too many of the SPD’s spending demands. That criticism may complicate coalition talks between conservatives and the SPD in the coming weeks.
The AfD — set to become Germany’s biggest opposition party when the new Bundestag convenes — is already upping the pressure on Merz.
“What do you actually stand for, Mr. Merz?” one of the AfD’s leaders, Tino Chrupalla, said in parliament on Tuesday. “You have by now had the mRNA of the SPD implanted in you.”