German Chancellor Angela Merkel
...current chancellor of Germany and the impetus behind Germany's remarkably ill-starred immigration program. Merkel used to be referred to by Germans as Mom. Now they make faces at her for inundating the country with Moslems ..
heads back into tense coalition talks on Saturday in a last-ditch effort to forge a coalition government and avert a political crisis in Europe's biggest economy.
The veteran leader won a September 24th vote without a clear majority for her conservative CDU/CSU bloc, largely due to the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), and must now build an unlikely alliance with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and left-leaning Greens.
Their deep policy differences however, especially on immigration and the environment, have hobbled the month-long negotiating marathon, leading the players to miss a Thursday deadline and declare they will push on until Sunday evening.
Until and unless the motley crew of four parties, which spans the mainstream political spectrum, strikes a deal, Germany's government remains in effective limbo with Merkel serving as caretaker chancellor.
If they fail, Germany is headed for likely snap elections, which would leave Merkel increasingly exposed to a rising band of critics within her own ranks and could further boost the anti-Islam AfD.
Merkel, no longer deemed invincible after delivering a historically poor election result, "now faces the most difficult task of her leadership so far," judged the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily.