BERLIN

German Social Democrats demanded Tuesday that the Christian Democrats adopt a new political approach before beginning formal coalition talks to form a government.

The Social Democratic Party's (SPD) co-leader Lars Klingbeil said the party is prepared to take responsibility but needs Christian Democrats' leader Friedrich Merz to change his approach, pointing to how his backing of anti-immigration legislation with the support of far-right AfD increased tensions between the parties.

“Our expectations are clear, we would like to see from Merz to clearly change his course and also his tone and, and demonstrate how we can work together in these difficult times,” Klingbeil told public broadcaster ZDF, adding that the SPD expects Merz to take a firm stance against the far-right AfD.

“The ball is now in Friedrich Merz's court, he has the task of forming a government, he is going to meet with us, he will also make offers as to what the future of our country would look like and we have clear expectations as Social Democrats,” he said.

Klingbeil said the party aims to address economic challenges, improve incomes, ensure stable pensions for retirees, and enable billions in investments to revive growth. He emphasized that they could work towards building a coalition government with the Christian Democrats if both parties agree on a common vision.

He said if they reach an agreement on forming a coalition government with the Christian Democrats, the final decision would be made by SPD members.

Merz's conservative alliance of (CDU/CSU) won 28.5% of the vote in Sunday's general election, securing a clear lead over other parties but falling short of an absolute majority in parliament needed to govern alone. The Social Democrats, despite receiving their lowest historical vote share of 16.4%, have emerged as a viable coalition partner. Together, the two parties would hold 328 seats in the Bundestag, surpassing the 316-seat majority threshold.

Conservative leader Merz said Monday that they would soon begin talks with the Social Democrats with the hope of forming a strong and stable coalition government before the Easter holiday (April 20-21).