Merkel tries to cling to power as coalition talks STALL

The German Chancellor is desperately trying to cling to power and has admitted she wants to reignite the grand coalition with the SPD. 

But Mrs Merkel has been weakened by heavy election losses to the far-right and then by the collapse last month of talks on a three-way alliance.

Now Mrs Merkel is pinning her hopes on the SPD for a fourth term as chancellor and to avoid new elections.

In a major blow, the SPD said its wants to take a further two days to decide if they even want to enter talks on forging a partnership.

Leaders of Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and her Bavarian conservative allies (CSU) sought to persuade their SPD counterparts to drop their objections to a renewal of the “grand coalition” the two parties have been governing together since 2013.

The conservative camp said: “The CDU and CSU representatives made clear that they wanted to begin exploratory talks with the SPD on creating a stable government.” 

But an SPD official said the party first needed to hold consultations before announcing a decision on Friday. 

After four years of governing with Mrs Merkel, the centre-left party scored its worst election result since 1933 – and few members want to repeat that experience.

Sensing Mrs Merkel’s lack of alternatives leaves it in a strong position, the SPD has said it would agree to share power only if it wins commitments on more generous social policy.

Social Democrat Carsten Schneider said: “A decisive point for the SPD is that the social agenda has more prominence in Germany.” 

He then demanded “fairness for ordinary heroes.”

But the mood between the two parties is still sour and Mrs Merkel herself has been a frequent target of criticism by the Social Democrats.

SPD leader Martin Schulz has made a pitch for EU integration leading to a “United States of Europe” by 2025, and the SPD wants a big spending boost on education, more nursery spots and a big healthcare reform. 

Mrs Merkel wants to maintain Germany’s solid finances, cut some taxes and expand the digital infrastructure.

The SPD had vowed to go into opposition after its dismal election result and only softened its approach, agreeing to meet Mrs Merkel, due to pressure from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who wants to avoid new elections.

However, the SPD pulled no punches in attacking Mrs Merkel during the election campaign. 

Mr Schulz described Mrs Merkel, known for pragmatism rather than vision, as a vacuum cleaner of ideas and has also accused her of silencing debate on issues.

Some in the SPD are prepared to contemplate another grand coalition, albeit with a clear SPD signature, but others prefer the idea of tolerating a minority government under Mrs Merkel.

One other option is a “KoKo” (cooperation coalition) agreement under which the SPD would agree to work with Mrs Merkel in some areas, such as the budget and European and foreign affairs, but force her to seek ad-hoc majorities for other policies.

But this idea is unpopular with conservatives who prefer a grand coalition.