Distribution of cabinet posts

However, the SPD will formally nominate its cabinet members, i.e. The persons who will take the
respective offices, only upon completion of the membership survey. According
to press reports (Spiegel online, Jan 26) party leader Schulz will join the cabinet
as Foreign Minister or as Finance Minister.

In the days after the presentation of the new coalition treaty, Schulz and his
leadership team will have to go extra miles to enlist their party members’ support
for the treaty and thus to clear the final hurdle on the way to a renewed Groko. A
difficult task to undertake, given the widespread reservation among Germans
and SPD supporters. Public sentiment is mixed. Some surveys show a (small)
majority for the Groko proponents over the sceptics, others indicate the
opposite.

The assessments of the exploratory talk results is similarly ambiguous.
According to the January ZDF-Politbarometer (Forschungsgruppe Wahlen),
38% of all respondents think that the results are good, while 41% stated they
are not. A similar picture has emerged among SPD supporters (41% vs 47%).
Solely among CDU/CSU supporters do the proponents dominate the scene
(57% vs. 23%).