Pressure on Merkel as coalition bid stalls again

GERMAN chancellor Angela Merkel failed again to make progress in government coalition talks yesterday – as the parties clash on immigration.

Mrs Merkel is trying to create an unprecedented four-party coalition. But the parties’ wildly differing views have created an impasse which raises the prospect of a snap election.

Her conservative Christian Democrats and sister party the Christian Social Union, the Free Democrats and the Greens, reportedly made some progress in the weekend talks.

But a deadline of 6pm, which the Free Democrats said was their cut-off point, passed without an announcement.

The same had happened on Thursday evening, when marathon 15-hour negotiations ended with no agreement.

The CSU wants an annual cap on refugees, while the Greens want more recent migrants to be able to bring in relatives to join them. It leaves Germany facing its first minority government since reunification, while a coalition has never been attempted. It would also heap doubt on the future of Mrs Merkel after 12 years as chancellor.