German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and conservative challenger Angela Merkel held talks that both sides called helpful -- but they did not resolve their dispute over who should be the country's next leader.
Merkel came out of Wednesday's meeting at the Reichstag parliament building looking relaxed and describing the talks as "constructive and serious," while Franz Muentefering, head of Schroeder's Social Democratic Party, called the preliminary discussions "fruitful."
Both sides said they focused on policy, but had to leave their most serious dispute -- over who should be the next chancellor -- for further talks in the coming weeks. The two sides are scheduled to meet again next Wednesday.
Germany's stock market, however, seemed willing to ignore the political stalemate and hit a new high for the year.
Germany's Sept. 18 election resulted in both Schroeder's government of Social Democrats and Greens and Merkel's conservatives falling short of a majority in the Bundestag, or lower house. The two sides have had to turn to each other to try to form a majority across the left-right divide.
Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and their allied Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union, won 225 seats to 222 for the Social Democrats, with one further seat yet to be decided. She says that gives her the right to be Germany's first female chancellor.
Both sides stressed Wednesday's meeting was only a prelude to decide whether full-fledged coalition negotiations could be opened.
"We held exploratory talks, we discussed policy," Muentefering said of the two-hour meeting. "All personnel questions still need to be clarified, but we did not discuss them today."
Merkel said that "it is very clear what is still dividing us and that is the conservatives' claim to the chancellorship, but anyone expecting a resolution today would have had false expectations from these exploratory talks."
The two sides discussed policy differences on such thorny questions as reforming Germany's labor market and how to reduce its budget deficit.
Schroeder, standing next to Muentefering, said that the preliminary nature of the talks meant that the chancellorship question would be answered later.
"We are exploring the question of whether full-fledged negotiations can start," Schroeder said. "In such a phase, it's a political mistake to pose ultimatums."
Both sides have said another round of preparatory talks will be held next Wednesday. Before that, voters in the eastern city of Dresden turn out on Sunday in the last balloting of the election -- a vote that was put off because of a candidate's death. Pollsters say the delayed vote will decide one last seat, but likely will not alter the stalemate that emerged from the election.
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts said. Footage of the collapse on Wednesday showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside into the hamlet of Blatten. Swiss Development Cooperation disaster risk reduction adviser Ali Neumann said that while the role of climate change in the case of Blatten “still needs to be investigated,” the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere — the part of the world covered by frozen water. “Climate change and
Packed crowds in India celebrating their cricket team’s victory ended in a deadly stampede on Wednesday, with 11 mainly young fans crushed to death, the local state’s chief minister said. Joyous cricket fans had come out to celebrate and welcome home their heroes, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, after they beat Punjab Kings in a roller-coaster Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket final on Tuesday night. However, the euphoria of the vast crowds in the southern tech city of Bengaluru ended in disaster, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra calling it “absolutely heartrending.” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said most of the deceased are young, with 11 dead
Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election today between two candidates offering starkly different visions for the country’s future. The winner would succeed Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who is finishing his second and final term. The outcome would determine whether Poland embraces a nationalist populist trajectory or pivots more fully toward liberal, pro-European policies. An exit poll by Ipsos would be released when polls close today at 9pm local time, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Final results are expected tomorrow. Whoever wins can be expected to either help or hinder the
DENIAL: Musk said that the ‘New York Times was lying their ass off,’ after it reported he used so much drugs that he developed bladder problems Elon Musk on Saturday denied a report that he used ketamine and other drugs extensively last year on the US presidential campaign trail. The New York Times on Friday reported that the billionaire adviser to US President Donald Trump used so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that he developed bladder problems. The newspaper said the world’s richest person also took ecstasy and mushrooms, and traveled with a pill box last year, adding that it was not known whether Musk also took drugs while heading the so-called US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Trump took power in January. In a