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Looks like a new election. Predictions? Hopes? Fears?
Collapse of German coalition talks deals Merkel a blow; new election likely
Germany’s president called for talks to continue. But jockeying before a possible new vote has begun.
36 minutes ago
BERLIN — The sudden collapse of talks to form a coalition government left German politics in turmoil Monday, as Chancellor Angela Merkel reckoned with one of the worst crises of her 12-year tenure and signaled that a new election is likely.
The unexpected failure triggered a flurry of activity in the normally predictable world of German politics, putting financial markets on edge and upping the volume on previously whispered conversations about how much longer Merkel can last.
After a midday meeting with the chancellor, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier attempted to calm the choppy waters with a speech calling on parties to come back to the negotiating table and avoid another vote after an inconclusive September election.
“The responsibility given to the parties remains,” said Steinmeier, noting that Monday’s impasse was unprecedented in Germany’s postwar history. “One can’t just return that responsibility to the voters.”
But despite his plea, a fresh vote looked increasingly likely — a fact that Merkel acknowledged Monday evening in an interview with broadcaster ZDF.
While Merkel insisted that she would not step down, she also suggested that calling a new election would be preferable to leading a government that must survive vote-to-vote without a majority in the German parliament, the Bundestag. . . .
Collapse of German coalition talks deals Merkel a blow; new election likely
Germany’s president called for talks to continue. But jockeying before a possible new vote has begun.
36 minutes ago
BERLIN — The sudden collapse of talks to form a coalition government left German politics in turmoil Monday, as Chancellor Angela Merkel reckoned with one of the worst crises of her 12-year tenure and signaled that a new election is likely.
The unexpected failure triggered a flurry of activity in the normally predictable world of German politics, putting financial markets on edge and upping the volume on previously whispered conversations about how much longer Merkel can last.
After a midday meeting with the chancellor, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier attempted to calm the choppy waters with a speech calling on parties to come back to the negotiating table and avoid another vote after an inconclusive September election.
“The responsibility given to the parties remains,” said Steinmeier, noting that Monday’s impasse was unprecedented in Germany’s postwar history. “One can’t just return that responsibility to the voters.”
But despite his plea, a fresh vote looked increasingly likely — a fact that Merkel acknowledged Monday evening in an interview with broadcaster ZDF.
While Merkel insisted that she would not step down, she also suggested that calling a new election would be preferable to leading a government that must survive vote-to-vote without a majority in the German parliament, the Bundestag. . . .
shows that most Germans blame the FDP crowd the most for the failure of talks, the CSU being blamed second, the greens less so and Merkel's CDU least of all. That would indicate that a sizeable portion of German voters hope the FDP be punished in forthcoming elections for having again shown its most prominent feature, that of untrustworthiness.
