Time running out for German coalition talks
Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that "serious differences" remain between the parties hoping to form Germany's next government but voiced hope a deal would emerge yesterday, hours before a deadline that could trigger snap polls.
We have "very different positions" on some policy issues, Merkel told reporters, adding, however, that "I believe it can work".
After weeks of quarrelsome exploratory talks, Merkel's CDU/CSU bloc, the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the left-leaning Greens are holding a final day of talks before announcing if they have found enough common ground to begin formal coalition negotiations.
The awkward bedfellows, who differ on everything from refugees and climate protection to EU reforms, have been pushed together by September's inconclusive election, which left Merkel badly weakened as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) lured millions of voters.
For Merkel, eyeing a fourth term, the stakes couldn't be higher.
"If the conservatives, the Greens and the FDP can't pull together, there's no way to avoid new elections," Der Spiegel news weekly wrote.
The potential tie-up, dubbed a "Jamaica coalition" because the parties' colours match those of the Jamaican flag, is untested at the national level and how stable such a government would be is anyone's guess.
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