12/05/2025December 5, 2025Germany’s coalition pushes for solid majority ahead of key pension vote
Germany’s governing coalition has been racing to secure firm support for its contentious pension package, as senior leaders urge potential dissenters in their own ranks to fall in line.
The head of the Bavarian conservative Christian Socialist (CSU) parliamentary group, Alexander Hoffmann, said the coalition needed “its own majority” ahead of Friday’s vote, telling the Rheinische Post newspaper that Germany faced major challenges that required stability.
Center-left Social Democrat (SPD) Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil warned against relying on an announced abstention by the socialist Left Party that could help the bill cross the line in any case. Speaking to the public broadcaster ARD, he said the goal was to “organize our own majority” by Friday.
The coalition plans to vote on the wider pension package at midday on Friday, with the result of the roll-call vote expected shortly after 1 p.m. (1200 GMT/UTC).
The package includes measures to stabilize pension levels and expand “mothers’ pensions,” payments to women who have spent time out of the workforce to raise children.
Younger conservatives have rejected the changes on the basis of cost, arguing they would overburden future generations.
The changes — long called for by the CSU — would extend credited child-rearing time for children born before 1992 by six months, making three years countable for all children regardless of birth year. Costs would rise to €5 billion from 2027, then €4 billion annually thereafter.
Two additional pension tweaks — boosting occupational pensions and allowing people who work beyond retirement age to earn up to 2,000 euros tax-free per month starting next year — are also part of the bill.
The situation eased after the Left Party confirmed it would abstain, lowering the necessary simple majority vote from 316 to 284. That means the coalition could still reach a majority even with several internal defections.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday he wants the coalition to achieve an outright majority of all 630 Bundestag members — a so-called chancellor majority.
German coalition disputes welfare state funding
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