After the election: Black-Red, and quickly

It would hardly have been possible to be much more straightforward. Friedrich Merz is on stage in the Konrad Adenauer House early on Monday afternoon and is commenting on the Union's election result. As often as the CDU had previously expressed hope of getting more than 30 percent, Merz is just as natural in praising the 28.52 percent that came together in the federal election. He then mentions the increase in seats for the CDU and CSU in the Bundestag and says with the utmost matter-of-factness that a coalition with the SPD could be formed. It has been a long time since an election winner has announced so quickly who he wants to govern with.