Colour-coding Germany's election

Another option, first proposed by Christian Odendahl, Berlin-based chief economist of the Centre for European Reform, is a Merkel minority government, relying on support from other parties. The advantage of this arrangement is that the SPD could regroup. Time is on the party’s side: Merkel is 63 and unlikely to run for a further, fifth term, which would take her past her 70th birthday. It will be easier to campaign against her relatively inexperienced successor.