Angela Merkel’s Coalition Talks in Germany Go Into Overtime<br />But bringing together four parties is a complex and difficult task,<br />and deep differences remain over policies on refugees and migration, finance and climate change, especially between the Greens, the Free Democrats and the conservatives — whose experience in working together has previously been in opposition to one another.<br />Leaders of the parties, the business-friendly Free Democrats, the ecologist Greens<br />and the Bavarian-only Christian Social Union, which forms a conservative bloc with Ms. Merkel’s Christian Democrats, appeared refreshed and resolved to extend negotiations into the weekend.<br />17, 2017<br />BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel and representatives of three German parties returned to the negotiating table in Berlin on Friday afternoon, in a last-ditch<br />effort to define the terms of a future government coalition, after 15 tense hours of debate on issues like migration ended in deadlock overnight.<br />Ms. Merkel herself is under pressure from the right wing of her conservative bloc, especially from the Christian Social Union, which is urging<br />her not to backtrack on a commitment she made last month to limit to 200,000 the number of people allowed to apply for asylum in Germany.<br />"I am heading into these negotiations with the intention, despite all the difficulties, of carrying out the task voters gave us of<br />forming a coalition," Ms. Merkel told reporters outside her party headquarters, where the next round of talks are being held.<br />If lawmakers voted to confirm her nomination, she would have to choose between leading a minority government — novel in<br />Germany’s post-World War II history — or dissolving Parliament, which would lead to new elections within two months.
