“It is a day of deep reflection on how to go forward in Germany. “As chancellor, I will do everything to ensure that this country is well managed in the difficult weeks to come,” Merkel said.
The outcome of the collapse remains unknown but Merkel is due to meet President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who has the power to call snap elections, reports the BBC. German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung called Sunday night’s development the worst crisis of Merkel’s 12 years in office.
Meanwhile, the second-largest party in parliament, the Social Democrats, have ruled out returning to a coalition government with Merkel. “The voter has rejected the grand coalition,” the Guardian quoted party leader Martin Schulz as saying at a party conference in Nuremberg earlier on Sunday.
