That is why everyone in politics, and we do it, must make sure that they do not depend on one single interest group. A good compromise is one where everybody makes a contribution.

Merkel frames democratic politics as an exercise in balancing plural interests rather than serving a single constituency. The warning against “depend[ing] on one single interest group” reflects a concern about capture: when parties or leaders rely too heavily on one bloc—economic, ideological, or regional—their freedom to govern for the whole polity narrows. Her definition of “good compromise” emphasizes reciprocity and shared sacrifice: legitimacy comes when all sides concede something, not when one side dictates terms. The quote also signals a pragmatic, consensus-oriented view of governance typical of coalition systems, where durable policy often requires distributing costs and benefits across multiple stakeholders.