German coalition talks: What do they reveal about Germany’s future?

With Germany’s federal elections finally in the books, the country’s parties are now tasked with determining who will replace Angela Merkel as chancellor. In a break from Ms. Merkel’s 16 years at the helm of the European Union’s most powerful country, her center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came in second to the center-left Social Democrats (SPD). Ms. Merkel will stay in power until coalition negotiations are concluded –

Why is needing three parties a big deal?What does the vote say about how Germany has changed?What does the delay in government formation mean for Germany’s role in the EU?