Your otherwise excellent coverage of the German elections was undermined by the description of Angela Merkel, and her Christian Democratic Union (CDU), as “conservatives”.

Angela Merkel was on track to win a third term as chancellor in a German election after her conservatives scored their best result in decades, but it was unclear whether she could avoid being forced into a coalition with her leftist rivals.

Chancellor Angela Merkel looked on track to win a third term in this weekend’s election in Germany but faced a battle to preserve her centre-right majority and avert a potentially divisive coalition with her arch rivals, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).

A new eurosceptical party is on the brink of entering the German parliament for the first time, an opinion poll showed, casting doubt on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bid to maintain her centre- right coalition and complicating her eurozone policy.

Angela Merkel’s allies swept to victory in a state poll in Bavaria yesterday, winning enough support to regain the absolute majority they had lost in 2008 and boosting the chancellor and her conservatives a week before a German federal election.

German chancellor Angela Merkel sought to reassure voters that Greece would not need a debt write-down, but left open the option of more aid for Athens as she struggled to contain a dispute which could hurt her in next month’s election.

Which group the chancellor’s party will be in coalition with is her biggest conundrum, says Noah Barkin

Angela Merkel’s coalition seemed dangerously close to rupture when her Free Democrat (FDP) partners defied the chancellor and backed an opposition candidate for the German presidency, centre-right coalition sources admitted.

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel may fall short of a majority in her own coalition for a crucial reform of the eurozone rescue fund meant to stop a sovereign debt crisis spreading, in what would be a severe blow to her authority, a test vote has showed.

GERMANY’S Social Democrats beat Angela Merkel’s conservatives in a regional vote in Berlin yesterday, handing the chancellor her sixth election defeat this year ahead of a key eurozone vote in parliament in two weeks’ time.

Angela Merkel's centre-right coalition is squabbling so much over the eurozone debt crisis that even the opposition is urging her to quash the infighting.

OFFICIALS from German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition sent a tough message to Greece yesterday that it might have to leave the eurozone if it fails to meet conditions for its bailout.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition suffered a new blow as Germany’s main opposition parties celebrated gains in a state election.

GERMANY’S Angela Merkel faces the biggest challenge to her leadership since coming to power in 2005, with traditionally loyal conservative allies openly criticising her approach to the eurozone crisis and her hands-off Libya policy in shambles.

Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Free Democratic allies are threatening to impose more conditions on future eurozone bailouts as they seek to tap voter anger in a bid to reverse the party’s collapse in support.

Berlin: Germany’s Free Democrats will defend parliament’s right to veto payments from a future eurozone bailout fund, a leader of the party said, reigniting a row that is exposing deep divisions within the country’s governing coalition.

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives looked set to lose power in a major regional stronghold yesterday after governing there for almost 60 years.

EVERYBODY will welcome as sensible that the incoming coalition government will have a minister responsible for heading up reform of how they do business.

ATTEMPTS to reorganise the EU’s rescue fund were dealt a blow by the junior coalition partners in Angela Merkel’s government when they ruled out any changes as they fight to retain seats in pending regional elections.

Newry: Software consulting services First Derivatives FDP, which specialises in services to global investment banks and hedge funds, has announced a joint venture with Trading Cross Connects US (TXC).

CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel’s lead in the polls is narrowing days before an election, suggesting she may be forced into another “grand coalition” that may struggle to lift Germany out of a deep downturn.

GERMANY’S Free Democrats rejected overtures from the Social Democrats yesterday and indicated they would stay in opposition if they were unable to form a centre-right coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

GERMANY’S two biggest parties edged closer to a ‘grand coalition’ yesterday, as conservative leader Angela Merkel said there was a very strong chance the conservatives and Social Democrats would form a government.

GERMANY’S Greens have agreed to hold talks on forming a new government with Angela Merkel’s conservatives after a leading member of Merkel’s party called a link with the environmentalist group “a realistic option”.

VOTERS plunged Germany into political limbo last night, splitting their ballots between Angela Merkel’s conservatives and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s Social Democrats so closely that both claimed victory.

GERMAN conservative challenger Angela Merkel’s opinion poll lead has shrunk since her TV debate with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and she may not achieve her goal of a centre-right coalition, surveys yesterday showed.

SWITZERLAND’S ultra-right People’s party (SVP) has rocked the country’s political system after emerging as the clear winner of Sunday’s general election.

The outcome of Germany's election is still not known as Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his conservative challenger Edmund Stoiber ran neck-and-neck tonight in one of the country's closest post-war elections.

GERMAN Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his conservative challenger Edmund Stoiber ran neck-and-neck last night in one of Germany’ closest post-war elections.