Merkel’s future in balance as tough German coalition talks drag on

Tough talks to form Germany’s next government went into overtime Friday, putting Chancellor Angela Merkel’s political future in the balance as failure to produce a deal could force snap elections.

Merkel’s disputed liberal refugee policy that let in more than a million asylum seekers since 2015 came back to haunt her, with a motley crew of potential partners digging in their heels on diametrically opposed demands on immigration.

After weeks of quarrelsome exploratory talks, Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc, the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the left-leaning Greens are hoping to find enough common ground to begin formal coalition negotiations.

The awkward bedfellows have been pushed together by September’s inconclusive election, which left Merkel badly weakened as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) lured millions of voters angry over the refugee influx.

Merkel had initially said she wanted to wind up the negotiations by Thursday, but marathon overnight talks failed to produce a breakthrough.

Party leaders will resume their high-stakes haggling at midday Friday, and negotiators have signaled that talks could drag into the weekend.

“We shouldn’t put ourselves under pressure,” said Peter Altmaier, Merkel’s chief of staff.

He also voiced optimism about reaching a deal, saying that “the problem is solvable.” But others took a hard-line stand.