MERKEL’S GRAND COALITION IN DANGER

BERLIN The future of Angela Merkel’s government was cast into renewed doubt Monday as the German chancellor’s coalition partners faced calls to withdraw their support.

In the wake of heavy losses in regional elections in Bavaria, leaders of the centre-Left Social Democratic Party (SPD) were urged to pull out of the ruling coalition, raising the prospect of early elections or a minority government.

The SPD announced that its leadership is to meet next month on the future of the coalition. But its leader insisted she would not set out any conditions for the party remaining in Merkel’s government.

“This is not the time to be drawing red lines on the future of the coalition,” Andrea Nahles said. “The fate of a national coalition can’t come down to a regional election.”

Merkel put the heavy losses down to a “loss of trust in politics” following prolonged coalition negotiations last year.