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The challenges facing Germany’s new leader

Olaf Scholz, Angela Merkel, Zannie Minton-Beddoes, Tom Nuttall, Jörg Lau

Germany's recent election resulted in a fragmented parliament where the SPD, led by Olaf Scholz, formed a historic three-way coalition with the Greens and the FDP to secure governance. This shift dismantled the traditional two-party dominance, placing smaller parties in pivotal roles while simultaneously reducing the parliamentary influence of extremist factions. The new administration faces immediate challenges in recalibrating foreign policy, particularly in moving away from the Merkel era's engagement strategies with China and managing internal tensions between a Social Democratic chancellor and a Green foreign minister regarding Russia.