Germany Fails to Form Coalition; Next Move Unclear<br />that I will contact the president tomorrow morning, inform him about the situation and we will see how things continue,<br />19, 2017<br />BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel’s attempt to form a new German government collapsed on Sunday as one of the four parties she was seeking to<br />bind together walked out after hours of negotiations, citing irreconcilable differences and throwing open the question of what comes next.<br />After intense meetings among negotiators and party leaders over the weekend failed to produce any breakthroughs,<br />Christian Lindner, the head of the Free Democrats, told reporters that his party was quitting the talks.<br />The breakdown after weeks of intense talks aimed at forming a new government leaves Germany in limbo at a time when Europe<br />and much of the Western world is looking to Berlin for leadership.<br />Should Ms. Merkel fail to form a coalition, Mr. Steinmeier could still nominate<br />her as chancellor, given that her party has the largest bloc in Parliament.<br />Ms. Merkel was forced to seek the unwieldy coalition after her party suffered losses in the Sept. 24 election<br />and found itself without a clear path to forming a new government.
