Angela Merkel’s Tortuous Path Toward a German Coalition
- 6 years ago
Angela Merkel’s Tortuous Path Toward a German Coalition
The four parties in the talks — her conservative Christian Democrats; their Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union; the pro-business Free Democrats
and the environmentalist Greens — span the political spectrum.
And — no small matter — a new vote would also further unsettle Germany’s partners in the European Union, who are looking to Berlin for leadership after Britain’s decision to leave it
and in the face of growing divisions with the United States under the Trump administration.
Since her party won just 30.2 percent of the vote in the Sept. 24 election, the chancellor has found herself struggling to bridge a
yawning gap between prospective coalition partners, rendering a normally painstaking process even more protracted and difficult.
And then we will see whether this house can be built." The drawn-out talks have inspired creative minds on
social media, with Germans competing to come up with a name for the negotiations based on popular films.
This week the chancellor set a deadline of next Thursday for the parties to decide whether
they can make a government work — and these are just the preliminary talks.
Although recent polls show German sentiment largely unchanged since the election, a
fresh round of voting would surely spell the end of Ms. Merkel’s 12-year tenure.
The four parties in the talks — her conservative Christian Democrats; their Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union; the pro-business Free Democrats
and the environmentalist Greens — span the political spectrum.
And — no small matter — a new vote would also further unsettle Germany’s partners in the European Union, who are looking to Berlin for leadership after Britain’s decision to leave it
and in the face of growing divisions with the United States under the Trump administration.
Since her party won just 30.2 percent of the vote in the Sept. 24 election, the chancellor has found herself struggling to bridge a
yawning gap between prospective coalition partners, rendering a normally painstaking process even more protracted and difficult.
And then we will see whether this house can be built." The drawn-out talks have inspired creative minds on
social media, with Germans competing to come up with a name for the negotiations based on popular films.
This week the chancellor set a deadline of next Thursday for the parties to decide whether
they can make a government work — and these are just the preliminary talks.
Although recent polls show German sentiment largely unchanged since the election, a
fresh round of voting would surely spell the end of Ms. Merkel’s 12-year tenure.