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| German president calls on party leaders to return to coalition talks | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has called on German political leaders to reconsider their positions the day after the collapse of coalition talks pushed the country into its worst political crisis in decades. | |
| Coming out of talks with the chancellor, Angela Merkel, Steinmeier said he would meet all the party leaders this week. He urged a rethink that could allow them to form a government and sought to avoid a minority government under Merkel or fresh elections. | |
| “There would be incomprehension and great concern inside and outside our country, and particularly in our European neighbourhood, if the political forces in the biggest and economically strongest country in Europe of all places didn’t fulfil their responsibility,” he said after the talks. | |
| The pro-business Free Democratic party (FDP) had walked out of marathon negotiations shortly before midnight on Sunday, with its leader, Christian Lindner, saying there was no “common basis of trust” between the FDP, Merkel’s centre-right bloc and the Greens. It was “better not to govern than to govern badly”, he added. | |
| The collapse is the most serious threat to Merkel’s power since she became chancellor in 2005. | |
| “It is a day of deep reflection on how to go forward in Germany,” Merkel told reporters ahead of talks with Steinmeier. “As chancellor, I will do everything to ensure that this country is well managed in the difficult weeks to come.” | |
| If coalition talks do not resume, Merkel could seek to form a minority government, either with the FDP or the Greens, and gather support from other parties on individual policy votes. | |
| Once all other options are exhausted, Steinmeier could dissolve parliament and call fresh elections. To get there, however, Steinmeier would need to first set in motion a complicated process involving a parliamentary vote on Merkel’s role as interim chancellor. | Once all other options are exhausted, Steinmeier could dissolve parliament and call fresh elections. To get there, however, Steinmeier would need to first set in motion a complicated process involving a parliamentary vote on Merkel’s role as interim chancellor. |
| Merkel has been trying to forge a coalition between her Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU), the FDP and the Greens following federal elections at the end of September. | Merkel has been trying to forge a coalition between her Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU), the FDP and the Greens following federal elections at the end of September. |
| Lindner said on Sunday the parties involved in the talks had missed several self-prescribed deadlines to resolve differences on migration and energy policies, and had “no common vision for modernisation of the country”. | Lindner said on Sunday the parties involved in the talks had missed several self-prescribed deadlines to resolve differences on migration and energy policies, and had “no common vision for modernisation of the country”. |
| A so-called “Jamaica” coalition – so named because the parties’ traditional colours are the same as those on the Jamaican flag – has previously been tested only at regional level, but was the only plausible coalition option open to Merkel. | A so-called “Jamaica” coalition – so named because the parties’ traditional colours are the same as those on the Jamaican flag – has previously been tested only at regional level, but was the only plausible coalition option open to Merkel. |
| The Social Democrat leader, Martin Schulz, whose party has played junior partner to Merkel in the German government for the past four years, on Monday said it was “not available” for a repeat of the so-called grand coalition. He said it “was clear that the grand coalition had got the red card” and the SPD would welcome fresh elections. | |
| A repeat of the grand coalition between the two largest parties would also result in the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, the third largest party, becoming the official opposition and gain enhanced status in the Bundestag. | A repeat of the grand coalition between the two largest parties would also result in the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, the third largest party, becoming the official opposition and gain enhanced status in the Bundestag. |
| Merkel described the FDP’s walkout as “regrettable” on Sunday night and insisted the parties would have been capable of reaching a compromise, in spite of their polarised views on migration. | Merkel described the FDP’s walkout as “regrettable” on Sunday night and insisted the parties would have been capable of reaching a compromise, in spite of their polarised views on migration. |
| In a month of talks, she has often cut a passive figure as party representatives found themselves at loggerheads over issues such as the question of how many of the migrants who found their way to Germany in 2015 and 2016 would be allowed to be reunited with their families. | In a month of talks, she has often cut a passive figure as party representatives found themselves at loggerheads over issues such as the question of how many of the migrants who found their way to Germany in 2015 and 2016 would be allowed to be reunited with their families. |
| Migration emerged as a contentious political issue in Germany following the refugee crisis, when 1.2 million migrants entered the country in 2015-16. The backlash against Merkel’s decision to keep open Germany’s borders has resulted in a far-right party entering the German parliament for the first time in more than 50 years. | Migration emerged as a contentious political issue in Germany following the refugee crisis, when 1.2 million migrants entered the country in 2015-16. The backlash against Merkel’s decision to keep open Germany’s borders has resulted in a far-right party entering the German parliament for the first time in more than 50 years. |
| The CDU, the CSU and the FDP have, at times, worked to outdo each other on calling for a harder line on migration controls in the coalition talks. | The CDU, the CSU and the FDP have, at times, worked to outdo each other on calling for a harder line on migration controls in the coalition talks. |
| According to reports in German media, the Green party suggested a compromise over the weekend whereby they would agree to limit Germany’s annual intake of migrants to a benchmark figure of 200,000 – as long as other parties did not rule out allowing migrants with “subsidiary protection” status to be reunited with their families. | According to reports in German media, the Green party suggested a compromise over the weekend whereby they would agree to limit Germany’s annual intake of migrants to a benchmark figure of 200,000 – as long as other parties did not rule out allowing migrants with “subsidiary protection” status to be reunited with their families. |
| The parties also struggled to find common ground on climate change, with the Greens calling for a reduction in coal-generated power while its potential coalition partners have expressed concerns about job losses in the energy and manufacturing sectors. | The parties also struggled to find common ground on climate change, with the Greens calling for a reduction in coal-generated power while its potential coalition partners have expressed concerns about job losses in the energy and manufacturing sectors. |
| If the talks had been successful, negotiations would have moved to the next stage, in which a document with fundamental agreements provides the basis for the carving up of ministerial roles. | If the talks had been successful, negotiations would have moved to the next stage, in which a document with fundamental agreements provides the basis for the carving up of ministerial roles. |
| While the debate in Germany over the past few weeks has mainly focused on policy differences between the parties, it is likely to soon shift to the chancellor, and the question of whether or not she still commands sufficient power to hold together a strong government. | While the debate in Germany over the past few weeks has mainly focused on policy differences between the parties, it is likely to soon shift to the chancellor, and the question of whether or not she still commands sufficient power to hold together a strong government. |