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Schroeder, Merkel meet to settle leadership
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and conservative leader Angela Merkel meet on Thursday to thrash out who will lead the country after last month's inconclusive general election. Merkel's conservatives and Schroeder's Social Democrats are warming to the idea of forging a coalition after neither was able to form a government with their preferred allies, but the issue of who should be chancellor has divided the fierce election rivals.
There are signs Schroeder, 61, could be prepared to give up the job he has held since 1998. Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, would be the country's first woman chancellor. Schroeder said earlier this week he would not stand in the way of the creation of a stable government. Germany's top-selling Bild newspaper, which is broadly supportive of the center-right, said Merkel was likely to become chancellor if she held her nerve. "Does he (Schroeder) see that the poker match has come to an end?" it asked in its Thursday edition. "Schroeder will not make it as the SPD's minority chancellor as long as the majority chancellor (Merkel) doesn't allow herself to be hustled out." GRAND COALITION The tone of recent comments suggests Germany's top parties may be close to ending a deadlock that has plagued the country for two-and-a-half weeks. Once Europe's economic powerhouse, Germany now faces weak growth, high unemployment and a stubborn budget deficit. Protracted talks and conflicts between the CDU and SPD over how to solve Germany's woes risk exacerbating these problems. A so-called "grand coalition" between the main parties on the left and right has only existed once before in Germany, back in the 1960s. Business expressed horror at the prospect of a grand coalition before the September 18 election, but is now welcoming the possibility of a stable alliance tackling Germany's budgetary woes and reforming the federal system. German share prices climbed to 3-1/2 year highs this week on hopes of an agreement. The European Union's top economic policy official told the Financial Times Deutschland (FTD) newspaper that a grand coalition would be best positioned to cut the nation's budget deficit. "I believe a grand coalition will be better placed than other formations," European Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in comments to appear in the Thursday edition of the newspaper. Merkel and Schroeder both sounded upbeat on Wednesday about the prospect of agreeing a power-sharing deal. "Overall, I am more optimistic than pessimistic," Merkel told reporters after a third round of exploratory talks. The conservatives say their four-seat advantage over the SPD means Merkel should become chancellor. The SPD argues Schroeder should stay in office as he is favored in opinion polls and since parties on the left as a whole have more seats in parliament.
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