Rival could give Merkel lifeline to lead minority government
TALKS were under way in Berlin last night to end the political crisis in Germany following the collapse of Angela Merkel’s coalition talks.
Martin Schulz, leader of the rival Social Democratic Party (SPD), was widely expected to drop his insistence on new elections and offer Mrs Merkel a lifeline – for now.
But it remained unclear whether his party was prepared to open negotiations on a new coalition with Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) or offer to support a minority government from the outside. Mr Schulz was last night holding talks with his party to agree a new position after several prominent MPS came out in open rebellion against his refusal to consider any sort of deal with Mrs Merkel.
He is also believed to have come under intense pressure from Frank-walter Steinmeier, the German president, to change his mind. Germany is facing months of uncertainty following the collapse of Mrs Merkel’s coalition talks with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the Green Party.
The SPD is the only party with enough seats in parliament to break the impasse, but Mr Schulz vowed to take it into opposition after its worst ever election result in September.
He refused to reconsider following the breakdown in coalition talks, insisting the party had nothing to fear from new elections, but has faced a barrage of criticism from his own MPS.
Several leading figures in the party have voiced support for the idea of a minority government, which would force Mrs Merkel to find a majority for each issue in parliament, and according to unconfirmed reports Mr Schulz is leaning towards this option.
But senior SPD voices spoke out against the proposal yesterday, warning it could lead to instability.
The SPD was in coalition with the Christian Democrats before the election, and Mrs Merkel’s party has made clear it would welcome a renewal of the deal.