Grand coalition

A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government. The term is most commonly used in countries where there are two dominant parties with different ideological orientations, and a number of smaller parties that have passed the election threshold to secure representation in the parliament. The two large parties will each try to secure enough seats in any election to have a majority government alone, and if this fails each will attempt to form a coalition with smaller parties that have a similar ideological orientation. Because the two large parties will tend to differ on major ideological issues, and portray themselves as rivals, or even sometimes enemies, they will usually find it more difficult to agree on a common direction for a combined government with each other than with smaller parties.

Causes of a grand coalition

Occasionally circumstances arise where normally opposing parties may find it desirable to form a government. One is a national crisis such as a war or depression, where people feel a need for national unity and stability that overcomes ordinary ideological differences. This is especially true where there is broad agreement about the best policy to deal with the crisis. In this case, a grand coalition may occur even when one party has enough seats to govern alone. An example would be the United Kingdom national governments during World War I and before and during World War II.

Grand coalition (Germany)

In modern Germany, grand coalition (German: Große Koalition) describes a governing coalition of the Christian Democrats (CDU together with the Bavarian CSU) and the Social Democrats, as they are the two largest parties.

Weimar Republic

In the Weimar Republic of 1919–1933, the term "grand coalition" was used for a coalition that included the Social Democratic Party, SPD, the Catholic Centre Party and the liberal parties Democratic Party, DDP and People's Party, DVP. Such a coalition was in power in 1923 and in 1928–1930, although the latter was a conglomerate of parties with somewhat conflicting interests, that banded together to as a safeguard for democracy against the radical political parties, the KPD and the NSDAP.

Federal Republic

In the post-war politics of Germany, three grand coalitions (Große Koalition) have been formed at the national level. Germany has historically tended to favor narrow coalitions between parties with closer natural alignments, such as SPD–FDP, SPD–Green or CDU/CSU–FDP coalitions. A grand coalition would be likely only if one of these natural alignments broke down, or if far left or far right parties were to secure significant representation in the Bundestag.

Grand coalition (Italy)

The Grand coalition (Italian: Grande coalizione), also known as Government of broad agreements (Italian: Governo di larghe intese), was a political coalition in Italy formed on 28 April 2013 in support of the government of Enrico Letta.

Letta, a member of the Democratic Party, led a supermajority government, one of the largest in the history of the Italian Republic, but lost the support of the centre-right People of Freedom (PdL), its main coalition partner, endured at Palazzo Chigi thanks to the support of a group of splinters from the PdL who formed New Centre-Right (NCD). Anyway it was considered the end of the Grand Coalition.

Composition

The Letta Cabinet was supported by the following parties:

Formation

On 24 April 2013, the Vice-Secretary of the Democratic Party Enrico Letta was invited to form a government by President Giorgio Napolitano, after the resignation of Pier Luigi Bersani following weeks of political deadlock following the 2013 general election. On 27 April Letta formally accepted the task of leading a grand coalition, with support from the centre-left Democratic Party (of which he stays Deputy Secretary), the centre-right People of Freedom, and the centrist Civic Choice, and subsequently listed the members of his Cabinet. The government he formed became the first in the history of the Republic to include representatives of all the major candidate-coalitions that had competed the election. His close relationship with his uncle Gianni Letta, one of Silvio Berlusconi's most trusted advisors, was perceived as a way of overcoming the bitter hostility between the two opposing camps. Letta appointed Angelino Alfano, secretary of the People of Freedom, as his Deputy Prime Minister. He was formally sworn-in as Prime Minister on 28 April; during the ceremony, a man fired shots outside Palazzo Chigi and wounded two Carabinieri.