coalition agreement
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coalition agreement
An agreement between two or more political parties that form a governing coalition. It sets out the shared political goals, projects, and distribution of ministries for the coming legislative period.
Nach wochenlangen Verhandlungen wurde der neue Koalitionsvertrag endlich unterzeichnet.
After weeks of negotiations, the new coalition agreement was finally signed.
The word is made up of three parts: 'Koalition' (coalition/alliance), the linking -s, and 'Vertrag' (agreement/contract). So it literally describes an agreement concluded by a political coalition.
Die Details des Koalitionsvertrags wurden in der Presse ausführlich diskutiert.
The details of the coalition agreement were discussed extensively in the press.
In a political context, 'Koalitionsvertrag' (coalition agreement) is often used with certain verbs. You can 'aushandeln' (negotiate), 'unterzeichnen' (sign), 'vorstellen' (present), or 'beschließen' (adopt/decide on) it.
Die Parteivorsitzenden haben den Koalitionsvertrag gestern Abend ausgehandelt.
The party leaders negotiated the coalition agreement yesterday evening.
This word is firmly part of the vocabulary of politics. You mainly hear or read it in news reports and discussions about forming governments at the national or regional level.
Im Koalitionsvertrag sind die wichtigsten Regierungsprojekte für die nächsten vier Jahre festgelegt.
The coalition agreement sets out the most important government projects for the next four years.
election platform
'der Koalitionsvertrag' and 'das Wahlprogramm' both belong to politics and contain political goals and plans. The difference lies in the timing and in who creates the document. A party writes a 'Wahlprogramm' before an election to show voters its goals. A 'Koalitionsvertrag' is created after an election, when several parties want to govern together. In it, they agree on shared projects and tasks. The words can be confused because both state what is planned politically. In practical terms: before the election, you read a 'Wahlprogramm'; after successful talks between parties, there is a 'Koalitionsvertrag'.
Nach langen Gesprächen unterschrieben die Parteien den Koalitionsvertrag.
After long talks, the parties signed the coalition agreement.
Vor der Wahl vergleicht Mehmet die Wahlprogramme der Parteien.
Before the election, Mehmet compares the parties' election platforms.