German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) party may be the largest one in German politics, but they were not the true victors in September's election. They achieved their worst share of the vote since 1949 and have been forced into a humiliating climb-down over their open border policy. Her Bavarian sister party, the CSU, whose home region bore the brunt of hundreds of thousands of refugees flooding into Germany through that state, have forced her to accept a quota of 200,000 migrants per year.
Integration has failed in many German cities
However, as The Daily Express highlighted, there is one factor preventing her from achieving overall authority; the Green Party. They have already stated that they cannot accept this immigration deal and that they want the Government to focus on integration measures instead. That is despite it becoming apparent that integration has failed in many German cities, including Cologne, where sex attacks have been on the rise since 2015.
It has always been said that the minor parties truly determine who governs Germany. For years, that power rested with the Free Democrats, as it does to a certain extent at the moment. Yet the Greens have also become power-brokers too.
Without the support of these two parties, Merkel cannot possibly govern her country. The Socialists, angry at losing a substantial amount of seats during September's election, have already distanced themselves from the toxic Chancellor, hoping to avoid further catastrophe.
The AfD party has broken the German political consensus
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has broken the German political consensus for the first time since the Second World War. Merkel hopes to avoid striking a deal with this party for it would mean she would have to admit her refugee policy failed and it would contaminate the CDU's image.
Yet what would happen if the Greens refused to support her immigration measures? She may have to pass these policies through the Bundestag with AfD support. It may well be that she cannot afford to isolate these nationalists entirely. The irony is, the Chancellor's future governance may depend on it.
It is possible the Greens, the CDU, the CSU and the Free Democrats may have to compromise on immigration. But because Merkel has hindered her own popularity through her 2015 open border policy, she no longer has the authority to pass through the CSU's quota system. Immigration may well be the death of her government and she only has herself to blame for this.
