With Angela Merkel a veritable shoo-in to win a fourth term as chancellor when Germans vote on Sunday, the big question is whether she can build a coalition that favors the wide-ranging measures to shore up the euro that the rest of the currency union is preparing.
Merkel’s current partners, the pro-European Social Democrats, are staring at a historically low result and have expressed great reluctance to support her for another term. Still, if their vote holds up better than expected, they might be persuaded to join another grand coalition and support greater European integration.
But historically, the more skeptical Free Democrats have been the preferred partner for Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and they’re among four parties hovering around the 10 percent mark. A strong performance from them could see the return of an alliance that has been resistant to anything that smacks of putting German money on the line to bind the euro area more tightly.
If the Free Democrats struggle, Merkel would need the Greens as well to hit the 50 percent mark. And that could lead to some awkward discussions around the cabinet table. Click here for everything you need to know about the vote.
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Global Headlines
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It’s May Day | U. Prime Minister Theresa May will step into a medieval cloister in Florence today and illuminate the European Union on her latest thinking on Brexit. It’s been eight months since her last landmark speech and reality has started to bite. The embattled leader will strike a conciliatory tone, suggest a transition period of two years and make clear Britain will meet its obligations. But will that be enough for a breakthrough in negotiations?
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Nigeria’s new threat | Already battling Islamic State-inspired militants in the north, Nigeria has slapped the terrorist designation on a new group of activists in the east campaigning for the revival of an independent Biafra, which collapsed half a century ago after one of Africa’s bloodiest civil wars. As Yinka Ibukun reports, the move threatens to radicalize a movement that routinely clashes with police on the streets but has no military capacity - yet. trip for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and another video emerges of his supporters beating up protesters. This clip shows Erdogan watching from the stage of a fancy New York hotel as thickset men punch and wrestle a T-shirted demonstrator who demanded the president “get out of my country.” It’s the third straight visit by Erdogan, often criticized for his harsh treatment of opponents at home, to feature a brawl. Trump has heaped praise on the Turkish leader, saying he’s running a very difficult part of the world and is “getting very high marks.”
— With assistance by Karl Maier.
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