[lispm]

> And historically, the FDP and CSU have a lot more influence that what would be proportional to their vote share compared to the bigger partners.

I don't think the influence is "outsized". Any party with 5% shares AND being in a coalition has much more influence than a party with 5% AND not in a coalition. A party with 4.9% may have very little influence, when not in a coalition and not even represented in the Bundestag. There are steps from very little influence to normal influence. The CSU never had that much special influence, since they were basically the CDU with a different name, but in Bavaria. It appeared larger because it was historically a different party, but basically only as an historic accident. The politics of CDU and CSU are largely the same. The CSU (only in Bavaria) getting more persons into the government may look like "more influence", but is largely the same policy as the CDU (in Germany minus Bavaria).

The FDP has left the current coalition, exactly BECAUSE they thought their influence was too low and they had to agree to too many unwanted compromises.

> My point is: It's a gradual difference. Not a complete systems change.

The currently policy landscape looks very different to me. Ultra-rich billionaires ruling US politics.

[tcfhgj]

FDP didn't leave, they only planned to do so, but could not, because they have been kicked out of the coalition before.

[lispm]

Kind of.

Chancellor Scholz removed Christian Lindner from the position as Finance Minister.

The FDP then left the coalition. Die ZEIT writes:

"Die FDP zieht alle ihre Minister aus der Bundesregierung zurück. Sie wollten ihren Rücktritt geschlossen beim Bundespräsidenten einreichen, kündigte Fraktionschef Christian Dürr in Berlin an. Damit beendet die FDP das Dreierbündnis der Ampelkoalition."

One of the FDP ministers left the FDP and stayed in the Scholz government.