German Greens sceptical of coalition with right

Leading conservatives have floated the idea of adding the Greens to their preferred coalition of the Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats, Merkel’s anti-tax ally.

The idea has drawn a sceptical response from many in the Greens, a party that is rooted in the protest generation of the 1960s and 1970s, but now has strong middle-class backing and generally supports economic reform.

“We as Greens most certainly will not be the auxiliary engine that contributes to the neo-liberal and neo-conservative policies that failed to win a majority getting into the chancellery by the back door,” Greens co-chairman Reinhard Buetikofer told Deutschlandfunk radio.

Buetikofer noted the two sides were far apart on energy policy, with the Greens insisting on sticking to a plan to shut down all Germany’s nuclear power plants while Merkel pledged to keep them open.

The Greens, whose most prominent figure is outgoing Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, back Turkey’s EU membership bid, which Merkel opposes. The three potential coalition partners also differ on tax policy.

“There is a long chain of diametrically opposed positions, not least on social issues,” Buetikofer said.

Merkel also conceded in an interview with the weekly Stern that “there are significant differences in the programs.”

Still, despite disappointment over the stalemate that emerged from the weekend election, a leading pollster said Germans overwhelmingly oppose the idea of going back to the polls to resolve the impasse.

Voters ousted Schroeder’s centre-left government on Sunday, but Merkel fell far short of winning a majority for a centre-right coalition that would deepen reform of Germany’s sluggish economy.

Both claim they have a mandate to form the next government, although Schroeder appeared to show greater flexibility yesterday by saying all sides should drop any “preconditions.” Merkel insisted her party, as the strongest in parliament, would not back down.

“I don’t know what Mr Schroeder wants, other than to carry on governing at any price,” she was quoted as telling Stern.

“But he will not succeed in getting us to give up our claim to leadership.”

Muentefering, the Social Democrats’ chairman, reiterated his party’s position that they wanted “Schroeder at the head” of any new coalition. He also indicated that no quick solution was expected, saying that further contact was expected “in the next week.”

Kicking off a round of exploratory talks, officials from Schroeder’s Social Democratic Party and the Greens – the two parties that formed the outgoing government – were meeting today to explore their chances of working together in a new coalition.

However, that would be realistic only in combination with the Free Democrats, who reject the idea.

Both the Social Democrats and the Greens rule out working with the Left Party, an alliance of ex-communists and left-wing defectors from the Social Democrats.

If the conservatives fail to form a so-called “Jamaica Coalition” with the Free Democrats and Greens – named after the parties’ traditional black, yellow and green colours, which match those of the Caribbean nation’s flag – their only other option is a “grand coalition” with Schroeder’s party.

Parliament must meet by October 18.

If a new chancellor fails to secure a majority in three rounds of voting, President Horst Koehler can appoint a minority government. That raises the spectre of an unstable government – and another election before parliament’s four-year term is up.