'Complex' coalitions may be the 'new normal,' German minister says

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner believes that government coalitions comprised of parties representing "very different" political views may become "the new normal," the minister said on Wednesday.

Lindner heads the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), a junior partner in the centre-left three-party government coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats.

During its almost three years in government, the coalition has become increasingly unpopular, in part due to frequent infighting. The FDP and the Greens in particular hold opposing views on a range of issues including taxes and climate protection.

With one year left to go until national elections in September 2025, all eyes are on the governing parties to see whether they will make it across the finish line, with a number of contentious - and potentially deal-breaking - issues including the 2025 budget on the agenda.

Pressed for his outlook on the remaining year at a press conference with foreign correspondents in Berlin, Lindner said that "maybe we have to get used to a new normal in many ways."

"I have said on various occasions that we have to get used to the fact that what we are experiencing in geopolitics is the new normal," he said.

"And perhaps it is also the case in European democracies that complex majorities and governments composed of very different world views are the new normal," Lindner added.

He said that this development may help to bring in a diversity of perspectives and lead to more lively debates.

The next German government, the minister said, will likely not be made up of parties united by a "particular ideological proximity" either, predicting instead a continued need to reconcile opposing views and controversies.