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Why did Germany form a grand coalition government after the 2005 election?

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“Queen of Europe” — Angela Merkel Angela Merkel, the first woman to serve as chancellor of Germany, 2012.

Following the 2005 German federal election, the country entered a period of political stalemate that necessitated the formation of a "grand coalition" government.

The election resulted in a narrow victory for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), which together bested the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) by only 1 percent. Because neither the CDU-CSU bloc nor the SPD could secure a clear majority to govern on their own, both parties sought to build alliances with smaller parties.1

However, months of negotiations with potential partners proved fruitless, leaving the parties unable or unwilling to form a traditional coalition. Consequently, the CDU-CSU and the SPD agreed to join forces in a grand coalition, which allowed Angela Merkel to take office as Germany's first female chancellor.21