BERLIN (Sputnik) — Month-long coalition talks between Germany's conservatives, liberals and greens hit another dead-end Thursday night, after the parties reportedly failed to bridge the gap over migration and climate.
The preliminary negotiations to form the coalition started on October 18. If they are successful, a so-called Jamaica coalition may be created, dubbed so after the color of the parties joining it, namely the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) alliance, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Green party. Following the election results, Schulz announced that his party would enter the opposition to the government if the "Jamaica coalition" is formed.
"They should manage the task, negotiate seriously and come to an agreement. A firm government would definitely benefit Germany. Germany, as well as Europe, cannot wait. Therefore, I suppose that this coalition will, in the end, come to an agreement," Schulz said, as quoted by the N24 channel.
"Exploratory talks will go into extra time. Negotiations will continue tomorrow," the Green party announced on Twitter.
Germany held a parliamentary election on September 24. Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling CDU/CSU alliance won the election with 33 percent of votes and secured 246 seats in the parliament. The SPD came second with 20.5 percent of votes and 153 seats. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which heavily criticizes Merkel’s open-door migrant policy, gained 12.6 percent of votes, thus entering the German parliament for the first time ever, having 94 mandates.
