In German politics, agrand coalition (German:Große Koalition[ˈɡʁoːsəkoaliˈt͡si̯oːn]ⓘ,shortened to:German:Groko[ˈɡʁoːkoː]ⓘ) is agoverning coalition between the two parties with the most parliamentarians on federal or state level. The term is generally linked to a coalition between thecentre-rightCDU/CSU alliance (Union, consisting of theChristian Democratic Union (CDU) andChristian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) parties) and thecentre-leftSocial Democratic Party (SPD),[1][2] since they have historically been themajor parties in most state and federal elections since 1949. The meaning of the term changed due to the growth of some formerlyminor parties in recent years.[3] It is the current governing coalition of Germany under theMerz cabinet following the2025 federal election, and marks the first time that one of the two parties does not have the most or second most seats in the Bundestag (theAfD won the second most seats).[4] Therefore, the latest coalition between CDU/CSU and SPD is often instead described as ablack-red coalition, referring to the respective colors of the two blocs.[5][6] If the coalition also includes the liberalFree Democratic Party (FDP), it is called a "Germany coalition" (German:Deutschland-Koalition (de)), with the party colors matching theflag of Germany: black for CDU/CSU, red for SPD and yellow for FDP.
In theWeimar Republic of 1919 to 1933, the term "Great Coalition" was used for a coalition that included theSocial Democratic Party, the CatholicCentre Party and the liberalDemocratic Party andPeople's Party. Such a coalition was in power in 1923 and from 1928 until 1930, although the latter was a conglomerate of parties with somewhat conflicting interests that banded together as a safeguard for democracy against the radical political parties, theCommunist Party and theNazi Party. In March 1930, the Great Coalition broke apart, with the resignation of the Social Democrats over the contentious issue of increasing employees' national insurance contributions at a time when wages were falling.[7]
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In the post-warpolitics of Germany, five grand coalitions (Große Koalitionen) have been formed at thefederal level through theBundestag.[8]
On 1 December 1966, the government was formed by theSocial Democratic Party of Germany and theChristian Democratic Union of Germany, the two major political parties in theFederal Republic of Germany. It was the result of arguments about tax increases between the CDU/CSU–FDP coalition of the time. TheFDP ministers stood down and a new government was formed with the SPD underKurt Georg Kiesinger of the CDU. The grand coalition was in control of 90% of the Bundestag (468 of 518 seats), leaving some politically active students disillusioned; this disillusionment led to the formation of theAußerparlamentarische Opposition which formed a core of theGerman student movement. The Kiesinger grand coalition lasted until 1969.[9][10]
After the inconclusive result of the2005 German federal election, neither of the traditional coalitions could form a majority government. A larger centre-left coalition was possible, comprising the SPD, Greens, and theParty of Democratic Socialism (PDS); but the SPD desired to exclude the PDS, the successor party to East Germany's rulingSocialist Unity Party, from government (i.e. acordon sanitaire). Consequently, the leaders of the SPD and the CDU/CSU agreed to form a grand coalition, with CDU leaderAngela Merkel as chancellor and an equal number of cabinet seats for each party. The chancellor was elected on 22 November, and the1st Merkel Cabinet took office.[11] The grand coalition lasted until the2009 federal election, when a coalition was agreed between the CDU/CSU and the FDP.[12]
Following the2013 election, a third grand coalition was formed by the CDU/CSU and the SPD.[8] Again it would have been numerically possible to form a center-left government with the SPD, Greens, andThe Left (the successor party to the PDS), but a grand coalition was formed instead. The termGroKo (shortening forGroße Koalition) was named 2013word of the year in Germany.[13] After the2017 election, the CDU/CSU initially entered talks with the FDP and Greens (aJamaica coalition);[14] however, negotiations failed, and the CDU/CSU and SPD ultimately agreed to a fourth grand coalition.[15]
TheMerz cabinet was signed in April 2025 thus marking a fifth time a coalition has happened between the CDU/CSU and the SPD despite the SPD becoming the third largest party in the Bundestag after thefederal election held in February where the far-rightAlternative for Germany (AfD) became the second largest party.[16]
Because the SPD had fallen to third place, some sources defined the coalition as a red–black coalition rather than the traditional grand coalition.[5][6]
Historically grand coalitions have been quite frequent at the state level. Currently, only two of the sixteen states have never been governed by a grand coalition:Hamburg andNorth Rhine-Westphalia.
As of December 2024, three states are currently governed by a grand coalition:
InSaxony-Anhalt, thethird Haseloff cabinet (in office since September 2021) is supported by the CDU, SPD and FDP, the first "Germany coalition" in the country since December 1959, after the fifthKaisen senate inBremen was dissolved.[17] InThuringia, theVoigt cabinet (in office since December 2024) is any state's first-ever "blackberry coalition" among the CDU, SPD and newcomerSahra Wagenknecht Alliance (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht, BSW).
Kommt Rot-Grün, wie es fast alle erwarten, oder doch Rot-Schwarz? Wie würde es wohl aussehen, ein Hamburg mit einem Regierungsbündnis, das man früher als 'Große Koalition' bezeichnet hätte?
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