A long night lies ahead for Angela Merkel, with the final round of talks to form a coalition government in Germany.<br /><br />The priority for protesters, who gathered to greet negotiators in Berlin, was a demand for more direct democracy via referendums. One man even stripped to his boxer shirts to get the message across.<br /><br />It is not the only issue on which the Chancellor’s conservatives and her Social Democrat or SPD potential partners fail to see eye to eye.<br /><br />Pensions policies and public spending are among other sticking points. While the SPD looks to have got its way on a national minimum wage, full details of the measure are far from clear.<br /><br />SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel faces a battle closer to home, needing to convince his grassroots to support the deal. Many though are wary after the party suffered in Merkel’s shadow in a previous “grand coalition”.
