Angela Merkel Spared Disaster, and German Coalition Talks to Continue
Both the Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats have lost ground to the political extremes in recent years,
and the collapse of voter support for the center left to 20 percent — the lowest level since 1933 — has raised existential fears among Social Democrats.
21, 2018
BONN, Germany — Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany escaped political disaster on Sunday, at least for now,
and inched a step closer to forming a new government after the Social Democrats voted in favor of entering formal coalition talks with her conservative camp.
And inside Germany, a hard-fought Bavarian election would mean Ms. Merkel’s conservative sister party, which has been losing
votes to the euroskeptic Alternative for Germany, may be in no mood to make concessions on overhauls in Europe.
But a major wild card remains: The Social Democrats’ grass roots — rebellious after sharing power with Ms.
Merkel led to their worst election result in more than 80 years — must approve any final coalition deal.
But some warned that another coalition straddling the center left
and center right could be a short-term fix with a high long-term cost: It would elevate the far-right Alternative for Germany as the biggest opposition party in Parliament.
