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| Europe |
| 'Grand coalition' for Germans |
| 2005-09-30 |
| GERMANY was yesterday heading for a "grand coalition" government between the two main parties, with reports suggesting Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was preparing to stand down on Monday as the country commemorates 15 years of reunification between East and West. Mr Schröder has planned a meeting with leaders of his Social Democrat Party (SPD) on Monday afternoon which follows on from a vote in Dresden on Sunday, where the election was delayed because of the death of a candidate. Party insiders say Mr Schröder, 61, who vowed to stay in power after the inconclusive general election result nearly a fortnight ago, sees the result in Dresden as the true end of the campaign - even though the result in the eastern city will not drastically alter the outcome of the general election which saw the Christain Democrats (CDU) become the biggest party, with three more seats than the SPD. Although Mr Schröder did not win the vote outright, he succeeded to a degree, leading his party to a close second behind Angela Merkel's CDU when weeks before it seemed certain the opposition would win easily. A power-sharing coalition between the SPD and the conservative CDU yesterday appeared to be the likely outcome of tense talks, leaving the chancellorship as the main, remaining issue. One veteran MP said Mr Schröder saw the Dresden poll as "closure" and added that rumours were rife on all sides that he was about to call it a day. Yesterday Mrs Merkel said: "The possibility or likelihood of a coalition with the SPD is much higher than the other constellations." She has acquired the air of a victor or at least someone buying into the rumours that her nemesis is close to quitting. SPD party insiders yesterday claimed Mr Schröder, who has an appalling economic record in seven years of leadership, was ready to admit defeat. He had been claiming that only he could be chancellor. But after talks on Wednesday the political tectonic plates in Berlin seemed to be shifting in her favour. An alliance between the SPD and CDU would be the first time Germany has had such a "grand coalition" of the two main political forces since 1969. Both parties yesterday described the talks as "fruitful and serious". Mrs Merkel said: "I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to discuss the matters at hand, only ten days after such a campaign." Only Edmund Stoiber, head of the Christian Social Union conservative party of Bavaria, mentioned the touchy question of who would lead Germany during the talks. Though both sides said they did not discuss it during the meetings, Mr Stoiber said he hoped "that the SPD accepts Mrs Merkel's leadership claim". |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 They have plenty of time yet. Gerd has to go in any case. Merkel is a much better back room dealer than Gerd. She will come out on top. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom 2005-09-30 05:34 |