A struggle for Merkel after elections, Abe calls for snap polls

BERLIN: In Europe, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing a tough job forming a new government as the opposition grew strong after fractious elections. And in Asia, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is seeking to strengthen his hand at the helm of the world’s third-largest economy as tensions with nearby North Korea reach fever-pitch.

Abe hopes to capitalise on a weak and fractured opposition to sweep back into power, as polls show him regaining ground after a series of scandals.

“I will dissolve the House of Representatives on Sept 28,” Abe told reporters. Voting is widely expected to be held on Oct 22.

Suveys suggest voters approve of nationalist Abe’s hardline stance on North Korea, which fired two missiles over the country in the space of a month and has threatened to “sink” Japan.

“The election, which is the core of democracy, should not be influenced by the threats of North Korea,” stressed Abe, 63.

“Rather, by holding an election, I want to seek a public mandate regarding (the government’s) handling of the North Korean issues,” he added.

Merkel also vowed to stay firm on her foreign, European and refugee policies despite the nationalist, anti-migrant party finishing third in Sunday’s election.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) became the first hard-right, openly anti-immigration party to win dozens of seats in parliament since World War II.

Merkel once more defended her decision to let in large numbers of migrants, saying Germany wouldn’t again face the humanitarian crisis that led to it. Merkel conceded that it had led to “polarisation, connected with me personally” but said that a lot of progress has since been made.

The centre-left Social Democratic Party has been Merkel’s partner in a “grand coalition” since 2013. The party finished second, but leader Martin Schulz said its dismal showing would require the Social Democrats “to be a strong opposition” going forward.

The most politically plausible option for Merkel is a three-way coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats and the traditionally left-leaning Greens.

The combination, called a “Jamaica” coalition because the parties’ colours match those of the Caribbean nation’s flag, hasn’t been tried before in a national government.

Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, has no tradition of minority governments, and Merkel has made clear she doesn’t want to go that route. It would be a tall order anyway, as her bloc only holds 246 of the new parliament’s 709 seats.