German party leaders haggle hard for chancellery

Conservative challenger Angela Merkel is still pressing hard to replace Gerhard Schroeder as chancellor of Germany after the two opponents held another meeting to try to hammer out a coalition accord.

The nearly three-week battle of wills between Schroeder and reform-minded Merkel over who will lead the country continued last night with a with a face-to-face meeting, amid signs they might be within reach of a coalition deal to end the stalemate from last month’s inconclusive election.

Merkel and her Christian Democrats pushed her demand hard to become the country’s first female chancellor before a meeting with Schroeder, whose Social Democratic party clings to its competing claim that Schroeder should extend his seven years in office.

Analysts and politicians said Schroeder’s party was probably driving a hard bargain, demanding Cabinet seats or even the parliamentary chairmanship, if he agreed to step aside.

The two sides have been forced to negotiate over a so-called “grand coalition” between Merkel’s and Schroeder’s parties – usually on opposite sides of the issues. They need each other because voters ousted Schroeder’s government of Social Democrats and Greens on September 18, but also denied Merkel a majority for a centre-right coalition.

Schroeder and Merkel’s fellow conservative leader Edmund Stoiber were seen arriving at what officials said was to be the meeting site, a parliamentary clubhouse across from the Bundestag lower house.

The chancellor and Stoiber were seen leaving a little more than four hours later, but there was little evidence beyond that about the meeting.

Officials provided no details and there were no public statements from the participants. Officials said results might come only Sunday or Monday.

If they reach an understanding about who is the leader, both parties are to hold meetings on Monday that could endorse the beginning of formal talks on a power-sharing deal.

“We believe that we will have results on Sunday evening that are firm,” Muentefering said.

Muentefering said his party was keeping its aim of governing “with Gerhard Schroeder at the helm” – although he appeared to suggest that was an aspiration rather than a demand.

Merkel insisted that her conservative bloc should get the job of parliament president, which traditionally goes to the strongest parliamentary group.

Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and Stoiber’s Christian Social Union emerged from the election with 226 seats in the 614-seat lower house of parliament, four seats and some 400,000 votes ahead of the Social Democrats.

Karl-Rudolf Korte, professor of political science at the University of Duisburg, said the Social Democrats were holding out for the best possible deal.