Merkel on the brink with coalition talks in ‘extra time’

ANGELA MERKEL’S political future hung in the balance yesterday as a coalition talks deadline passed without agreement on forming a government.

Talks have been extended and are now expected to last into the weekend after party leaders were unable to agree on key issues including migrants.

If they cannot reach an agreement in the coming days, Germany could face new elections and Mrs Merkel’s future as chancellor will be in doubt.

Mrs Merkel had pledged to deliver a clear answer on whether she could form a new coalition by yesterday morning. Instead she emerged grimfaced after marathon overnight talks with a terse statement for waiting journalists: “Good morning. Today we are continuing.” Negotiations had lasted 15 hours without agreement.

Wolfgang Kubicki of the Free Democrat Party (FDP) summed up the frustration of negotiators. “We’ve been talking for four weeks and we’ve got nowhere,” he said. “And now I have to go on TV and pretend everything’s great.”

Mrs Merkel is trying to build a new multi-party coalition with the FDP, the Greens and her Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), following damaging losses in September’s election. But she is struggling to find common ground between the three smaller parties, which are deeply opposed on issues ranging from migrants to the environment.

“It’s no simple thing to bring everyone together. But the task of forming a government for Germany is so important that it’s worth the effort,” she told journalists yesterday.

Mrs Merkel is to hold one-to-one meetings with party leaders over the weekend. “We’re going into extra time,” said Cem Ozdemir of the Green Party. “How long it all takes is up to the referee.”