September’s parliamentary elections marked a potentially significant shift in German politics with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) winning the largest share of the vote after sixteen years of Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leadership. Issues within the international system, the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of right-wing actors, and climate change alarms have already transformed the political landscape of Europe’s biggest economy. Though the SPD beat the CDU by a narrow margin, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party will be the likely kingmakers as the parties negotiate to form a coalition. With a government still to be formed, what, and who, will we see emerge as the new leaders of Germany? 

Speakers

Liana Fix, Programme Director, Körber-Stiftung 

Michael Werz, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress 

Moderator

James Lamond, Director, Democratic Resilience Program, Center for European Policy Analysis