Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed confidence on Friday that three party groups trying to form a new German government can reach a coalition deal, and top leaders plan to meet again on Monday.
With her former coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), determined to go into opposition, Merkel is pushing for a coalition with the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), after her conservatives bled support to the far right in an election last month.
“I think difficult deliberations lie ahead of us in the coming days,” Merkel told reporters on arrival for a fresh round of exploratory talks on Friday. “But I still think we can tie the ends together if we try and work hard.”
Merkel needs the coalition line-up, which is untested at national level, to work or could see her time in power coming to an end after 12 years.
Failure would likely result in new elections that could see further gains for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which surged into parliament after last month’s vote.
The would-be allies agreed during Friday’s talks on the need to relieve the financial burden on families, increase child care options and combat child poverty, negotiators said.