[The SPD] are taking steps away from the Agenda 2010 and inserting symbolic, leftist elements, ... If you look at it that way, the Left Party has already succeeded.

226

It will be a compromise. The Union will be able to push through fewer reforms than they planned to, or than we need.

223

It's a very mixed message from the voters. The majority of the population is still not ready to go through with a harder reform course. On the other hand, they know that things can't go any further with the red-green coalition government.

169

Experience has shown that state interests can be much stronger than party-political ties.

168

We'll have to wait to see the content of the coalition agreement. It will be an important sign of whether the government is ready to undertake basic reforms or only reforms too small to get Germany out of a very difficult situation.

153

They have collected protest votes, and the votes of people who normally don't vote.

149

In my perspective, the majority of the German population is still not ready to accept a real hard reform course.

143

The party leaders will probably be able to get support of their members at the end of the day. But it's still a dangerous business.

111

Both parties have moved on the major issues at hand, and to an extent that they can turn around and sell the deal to their constituencies. That seems to be the main point here.

110