Cautious optimism about Merkel's team

Her grand-coalition team does certainly not consist of yes-men or -women, since only very few of the ministers were appointed to her own taste.

As a result of the inconclusive election results, each coalition party had the right to select its candidates: the social democrats eight, Frau Merkel's CDU six and the Christian Social Union (CSU), the CDU's Bavarian sister party, two.

The cabinet list now announced looks as follows:

CDU/CSU:
Chancellor: Angela Merkel (CDU)
Chief-of-staff: Thomas de Maiziere (CDU)
Economics & Innovation: Edmund Stoiber (CSU)
Defence: Franz Josef Jung (CDU)
Interior: Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU)
Consumer Protection & Agriculture: Horst Seehofer (CSU)
Family, Women, the Elderly & Youth: Ursula von der Leyen (CDU)
Education & Research: Annette Schavan (CDU)

Social Democrats (SPD):
Labour & Social Security: Franz Müntefering (also Vice-Chancellor)
Foreign Affairs: Frank Walter Steinmeier
Finance: Peer Steinbrück
Justice: Brigitte Zypries
International Co-operation & Development: Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul
Health: Ulla Schmidt
Transport: Wolfgang Tiefensee
Environment: Sigmar Gabriel

The irony is that Frau Merkel is likely to have less trouble with the SPD side of the government, which was wisely picked by the experienced party manager Franz Müntefering, and will be eager to show that it is more competent and professional than their CDU/CSU opposites in the cabinet.

Few of Angela Merkel's party colleagues in the team owe her much personal loyalty. Horst Seehofer (CSU), a former health minister, had opposed her on almost every of her political goals.

German business commentators, however, seem to be relieved that the two portfolios most vital for an economic recovery will be held by determined and strong personalities: the social democrat Peer Steinbrück, the nominated finance minister, has the reputation of a man who will not shrink from taking radical steps to curb the budget deficit even against resistance in his own party.

Edmund Stoiber, the dyed-in-the-wool conservative State Premier from Munich, will certainly do his best to transfer to Berlin the experience of his native Bavaria, which can boost healthy finances, low unemployment and a rapid development of high-tech industries.

On the other hand, he, too, will not make life for Angela Merkel any easier, since he failed to become German chancellor in the previous elections of 1998, a disappointment from which he never really recovered.

It will take all the skills of Frau Merkel to make her own side toe the line and simultaneously keep the social democrats in check. Fortunately, the coalition is under enormous public pressure to deliver, and this may do the trick.