Merkel looks to bridge German divisions

BERLIN – Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Angela Merkel yesterday turned to the task of building a coalition government capable of injecting new life into the country’s ailing economy.

Merkel is set to become the first woman chancellor in Germany’s history at the head of a power-sharing administration of her Christian Democrat alliance and the Social Democrats. She won her personal duel with Gerhard Schroeder, who stood down on Monday after seven years in power, but the price she will have to pay for her new position is a government loaded with his Social Democrats.The Financial Times Deutschland newspaper said yesterday that Merkel would have to work “in the worst possible conditions”, holding together a fractious administration.The Tagesspiegel newspaper said she “will find it hard to govern as she intended”, but an editorial also hailed the remarkable rise to power of Merkel who grew up in the communist former East Germany.”It is a turning point, a truly historic moment because of Merkel’s background,” it said.There was however little celebration in the air as Merkel, 51, announced a deal on Monday which removed the main obstacle to formal negotiations on a coalition government which could last until mid-November – many Christian Democrats believe they should have won the election on September 18 by a clear margin after leading in opinion polls for weeks.Instead, they secured only a four-seat advantage over the Social Democrats, a wafer-thin margin which has forced the conservatives to make wide-ranging concessions in order to secure her nomination as chancellor.The deal to end three weeks of political limbo will see the Social Democrats take eight ministries, including the powerful portfolios of foreign affairs, finance, labour and justice, as well as health, aid and cooperation, transport and environment, party sources said.The Christian Democrats would have six – economy, interior, defence, agriculture, education and family.Edmund Stoiber, the state premier of Germany’s most wealthy region Bavaria, confirmed he would be taking over the economy job.Peter Struck, a Social Democrat and currently the straight-talking defence minister, may switch to become foreign minister to replace Joschka Fischer, according to some reports.Wolfgang Schaeuble, the wheelchair-bound close confidante of the former chancellor Helmut Kohl, is rumoured to be in line for a return to the interior ministry where he was in charge from 1989 to 1991.- Nampa-AFPShe won her personal duel with Gerhard Schroeder, who stood down on Monday after seven years in power, but the price she will have to pay for her new position is a government loaded with his Social Democrats.The Financial Times Deutschland newspaper said yesterday that Merkel would have to work “in the worst possible conditions”, holding together a fractious administration.The Tagesspiegel newspaper said she “will find it hard to govern as she intended”, but an editorial also hailed the remarkable rise to power of Merkel who grew up in the communist former East Germany.”It is a turning point, a truly historic moment because of Merkel’s background,” it said.There was however little celebration in the air as Merkel, 51, announced a deal on Monday which removed the main obstacle to formal negotiations on a coalition government which could last until mid-November – many Christian Democrats believe they should have won the election on September 18 by a clear margin after leading in opinion polls for weeks.Instead, they secured only a four-seat advantage over the Social Democrats, a wafer-thin margin which has forced the conservatives to make wide-ranging concessions in order to secure her nomination as chancellor.The deal to end three weeks of political limbo will see the Social Democrats take eight ministries, including the powerful portfolios of foreign affairs, finance, labour and justice, as well as health, aid and cooperation, transport and environment, party sources said.The Christian Democrats would have six – economy, interior, defence, agriculture, education and family.Edmund Stoiber, the state premier of Germany’s most wealthy region Bavaria, confirmed he would be taking over the economy job.Peter Struck, a Social Democrat and currently the straight-talking defence minister, may switch to become foreign minister to replace Joschka Fischer, according to some reports.Wolfgang Schaeuble, the wheelchair-bound close confidante of the former chancellor Helmut Kohl, is rumoured to be in line for a return to the interior ministry where he was in charge from 1989 to 1991.- Nampa-AFP