Germany’s September 24 election left Ms. Merkel’s two-party conservative bloc seeking a previously untried coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats and the traditionally left-leaning Greens. After four weeks of exploratory talks, their immediate aim now is to establish enough common ground to embark on formal coalition negotiations. The parties aimed to wrap up the talks Thursday night but, after haggling for about 15 hours, adjourned until Friday. A decision to open coalition negotiations, which would likely last several more weeks, would require approval by a Greens party congress later this month. “We will use this weekend to achieve a good solution,” Ms. Merkel’s chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, told ARD television.

Source: The Hindu November 17, 2017 16:52 UTC