Political ally dodges Angela Merkel’s candidacy question

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel’s top Bavarian ally, Horst Seehofer, pointedly dodged a question about whether Mrs Merkel would be the conservative candidate if she fails to build a coalition and a new election is called.

In an interview with Bild newspaper published on Thursday, Mr Seehofer praised Mrs Merkel and said he had no doubt about her desire to continue leading. But when asked if Mrs Merkel would be the natural candidate to lead the conservatives in a new election, Mr Seehofer said: “I don’t want new elections, and he who doesn’t want new elections doesn’t have to think about who would be the top candidate.”

Mr Seehofer leads the CSU, sister party in Germany’s largest state Bavaria to Mrs Merkel’s CDU.

Weakened by her party’s losses in the September election, Mrs Merkel is counting on the still divided centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) to endorse formal coalition talks tomorrow as her best shot at securing a fourth term.

If that fails, she would most likely have to attempt to form the first minority government in Germany’s post-war era, or face a new election.

The conservatives and the SPD reached agreement last Friday on a blueprint for renewing the “grand coalition” that has ruled Germany from since 2013, but an SPD congress must first give its blessing.

Renewing the grand coalition is unpopular with many SPD activists, who blame the arrangement for their worst electoral showing since World War Two.

Mr Seehofer, who had backed Mrs Merkel after months of sniping about the migration issue, said renewing the grand coalition would result in “four good years for Germany.”

He said Mrs Merkel proved her mettle in a week of intense exploratory talks with the SPD.

“Whoever saw Angela Merkel during the negotiations has no concerns about her fitness or ability to lead politically and conceptually,” he told the mass-circulation Bild newspaper.