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Merkel's Grand Coalition Hits a Rocky Patch

Her No. 2 gone, can chancellor hold government together?

By Jason Farago, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 22, 2007 9:56 AM CST

(Newser) – On the second anniversary of her taking office, the German media reports on new troubles for Angela Merkel's increasingly fractious grand coalition, which has two years to go but seems unlikely to push through the difficult reforms the chancellor promised. With last week's resignation of Franz Müntefering, the government's No. 2, Merkel has lost her closest partner from the other side of the aisle, and cooperation is giving way to squabbling.

Without Müntefering, the Social Democrats will shift further to the left, making compromise with Merkel's Christian Democrats even more difficult than before. Germany's president recently deplored the fact that the grand coalition is too weak to get anything done, and jockeying for position in the next election battle has already begun—even though polls aren't likely until 2009.

German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, outgoing Vice Chancellor Franz Muentefering and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, from left, talk during a session of the German Federal Parliament Bundestag... (Associated Press)

The Berlin Reichstag. ((c) KlausNahr)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, former Vice Chancellor and Labor Franz Muentefering, center, and the new Labor Minister Olaf Scholz, left, walk together to the farewell ceremony in the Berlin... (Associated Press)

German Labor Minister and Vice Chancellor Franz Muentefering speaks during a news conference in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007. German Vice Chancellor Franz Muentefering, the top center-left... (Associated Press)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a press statement in the Chancellory in Berlin, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007. Merkel talked about the resignation of Vice Chancellor and German Labor Minister Franz... (Associated Press)

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Merkel's Grand Coalition Hits a Rocky Patch

Her No. 2 gone, can chancellor hold government together?

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