Merkel pledges to keep hold on power
The German chancellor aims to form a new government as soon as possible, writes Abby Young-Powell in Berlin
ANGELA Merkel vowed to get a government in place as soon as possible yesterday as she recovered from a weeklong crisis that threatened to force fresh German elections and could have ended her political career.
In a speech to members of her party, Mrs Merkel said she wanted to avoid a re-run of September’s elections, which saw her Christian Democrats reduced to 33pc of the vote and left her struggling to form a governing coalition in talks with a range of smaller parties.
“The people voted. And I absolutely do not favour, if we can’t do anything with the result, asking people to vote again,” Mrs Merkel said at a party conference in the Baltic coast resort of Kuhlungsborn.
“Europe needs a strong Germany, so it is desirable to get a government in place quickly. Now it is no use to grieve things.”
Negotiations between Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and smaller parties broke down in the early hours of last Monday morning, triggering a week of instability that threatened to force new elections.
The crisis was calmed but not entirely resolved when the Social Democrats (SPD), the main centre-left party agreed to enter coalition talks last Friday. If she proves unable to form a new coalition government, a weakened Mrs Merkel will have no choice but to either form a minority government, or face new snap elections — an event party leaders fear could strengthen the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Her comments came as a senior SPD figure hinted the party would likely approve a coalition with Mrs Merkel’s conservative party if she came up with “convincing” proposals.
Niels Annen told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper that Germany needed to form a government quickly and that his party would not rule out governing alongside Mrs Merkel.
“Germany urgently needs a reliable government. A grand coalition could be an option and we should not exclude it,” Mr Annen said.
Martin Schulz, the leader of SPD, had previously ruled out entering into another “grand coalition” with Mrs Merkel after his party suffered its worst ever result in the federal elections in September. He back-pedalled and offered Mrs Merkel talks last Friday after a “dramatic” personal appeal from Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, and pressure from members of his own party who threatened to mount a leadership challenge.
It is not yet clear whether the SPD will enter into a new coalition with Mrs Merkel, or whether it will only offer to prop up a minority government from the outside.
Mrs Merkel’s career as leader of her party was left in the balance after four weeks of negotiations on forming a “Jamaica coalition” — so-called because the party colours match the colour of the Jamaican flag — broke down after a series of late-night discussions last Monday.
Christian Lindner, leader of the Free Democrats, stormed out of the talks with Mrs Merkel’s CDU, its sister Bavarian party the CSU, and the Greens, after midnight last Sunday, citing irreconcilable differences. Immigration was one of the main points of contention.