German poll result won't impact India ties

The outcome of the German elections, including a strong showing by the far-Right AfD party, is not expected to impact foreign policy, and the new government is expected to continue with efforts to enhance the partnership with India, German ambassador Philipp Ackermann has said.

- 

In an interview with Rezaul H Laskar, Ackermann pointed to the need to balance legal migration with a "psychological uneasiness in Germany...about dealing with the challenges of migration". He also acknowledged Germany's "very good experiences" with Indian workers and students.

How do you assess the outcome of the German election and what does this mean for relations with India?

Many Germans attached high importance to this election because the turnout was 82.5%. That means these elections were perceived as extremely important for the future of Germany.

The result - I think you can't hide the fact that it's difficult. For the first time, you have a far-Right party at 20.8%. We will be having tough discussions in Parliament. The second thing is it limits the options for a coalition because the winning Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has made it very clear it doesn't want to join hands with the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

You have to understand the "firewall" in Germany has a different character than the management of Right-wing parties in other European countries because of the history. I would argue AfD has people in its rank and file who are really very extreme.

The CDU has excluded going with the Left Party. With the Greens alone, it's not enough and they need to have the Social Democrats back on board. That's a formula we know, because that's the formula for three out of the four mandates for [former chancellor] Angela Merkel.

[CDU's chancellor candidate] Friedrich Merz has said he wants a government by Easter. This would be very ambitious because coalition negotiations, unlike in India, are very formal and end with a contract. If he manages that in two months, we will have a very smooth transition.