It is harder to define the political “centre” of Germany than it is that of France, the UK or the US. Unlike the first two, it is a polycentric, federal country. Unlike the second two, it does not use first-past-the-post. Also unlike the second two, its political order is still relatively new: the federal republic – founded in 1949 – is younger than Joe Biden. The “Berlin Republic”, the reunified Germany that emerged in the 1990s, is only on its third chancellor. After the federal election in September, Angela Merkel will step down and it will get a fourth. That looks most likely to be one of four figures, soon to be whittled down to two.
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