Germany's liberal party rejects coalition with Greens

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN

Germany’s liberal Free Democrats has ruled out new talks with the Greens for a three-way coalition government, further complicating Chancellor Angela Merkel’s efforts to break the current political deadlock.

Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader Christian Lindner accused Greens on Wednesday for floating conspiracy theories and making hostile comments about the Free Democrats.

“For the FDP, a cooperation with the Greens at the federal level is not conceivable in the foreseeable future,” Lindner told Spiegel Online, and ruled out resumption of coalition talks.

Merkel’s efforts to create a three-way government, including her conservative CDU/CSU bloc, liberal FDP and pro-environment Greens failed on Sunday, after Lindner walked out of the negotiations.

The failure of preliminary coalition talks, after weeks-long negotiations, has led to political uncertainty in the EU’s largest economy.

Merkel’s CDU/CSU was the largest bloc after federal elections on Sept. 24, but it failed to secure an absolute majority in parliament.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD), which remained the second largest party in parliament, had refused to enter coalition talks with Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc.

SPD’s leader Martin Schulz said last month that election result meant voters had rejected the option of another “grand coalition” between the SPD and the CDU/CSU, and gave Social Democrats the role of main opposition.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is scheduled to meet Schulz on Thursday, to encourage compromise and facilitate formation of a coalition government.