Berlin – Conservative challenger Angela Merkel won overwhelming backing from her party Tuesday ahead of talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s Social Democrats about a coalition government. Schroeder, apparently showing new flexibility, said all sides should drop “preconditions.”
Voters ousted Schroeder’s government Sunday but didn’t give Merkel a parliamentary majority, leaving Europe’s largest economy – beset by high unemployment, sluggish growth and budget deficits – rudderless.
Both Schroeder and Merkel claim a mandate to be Germany’s next chancellor, a dispute to be settled in coalition talks beginning Thursday. But the outcome is far from clear: one could win, or both could conceivably be overlooked by their own parties.
Merkel was confirmed as parliamentary leader by 219 of 222 deputies from her Christian Democrats and their allies, the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union. She got the endorsement despite disappointment over her party’s showing Sunday.
“Today’s vote underlined that as the strongest bloc in parliament, it is up to us to build a government,” Merkel said.
The Christian Democrats and Christian Social Union together barely finished first, with 35.2 percent, compared with 34.3 percent for the Social Democrats.
Schroeder called for coalition talks without “any form of preconditions” to end the political stalemate. He didn’t repeat an earlier demand that the Social Democrats would enter the government only with him as chancellor.
