Germans react as government talks fails

(20 Nov 2017) Germany faced an uncertain political future on Monday after the collapse of weeks of talks on forming a new government, with Chancellor Angela Merkel set to consult the country's president and the possibility of new elections looming. Germany's September 24 election produced an awkward result that left Merkel's two-party conservative bloc seeking a coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats and the traditionally left-leaning Greens. The combination of ideologically disparate parties hadn't been tried before in a national government, and came to nothing when the Free Democrats walked out of talks Sunday night. Germans are having mixed feelings about the outcome of the coalition talks. Michael Vogt, a 34-year-old Berlin resident, said he doesn't have a problem with new elections. Key sticking points during the talks were the issues of migration and climate change, on which the Greens and the other parties diverged, but also Free Democrat demands on tax policy. Angela Krone, a 45-year-old woman, said she expected this outcome. It's likely to be a while before the situation is resolved. The only other politically plausible combination with a parliamentary majority is a repeat of Merkel's outgoing coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats — but they have insisted time and again that they will go into opposition after a disastrous election result. Merkel, Germany's leader since 2005, said she would consult Steinmeier Monday "and then we will have to see how things develop". She didn't say more about her plans, or address whether she would run again if there are new elections. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...