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| Angela Merkel precarious as Germany's refugee row intensifies | Angela Merkel precarious as Germany's refugee row intensifies |
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| Germany’s ruling coalition remains in a state of heightened suspense over a growing dispute on refugee policy between Angela Merkel and her interior minister that could yet bring down the fledgling government. | Germany’s ruling coalition remains in a state of heightened suspense over a growing dispute on refugee policy between Angela Merkel and her interior minister that could yet bring down the fledgling government. |
| Horst Seehofer remained poised to carry out his threat to introduce police controls on Germany’s southern border, according to reports, as leading members of his Christian Social Union, junior partners in Merkel’s government, urged the chancellor to back down over her opposition to turning away refugees if they have already applied for asylum in another EU country or had their applications rejected in Germany. | Horst Seehofer remained poised to carry out his threat to introduce police controls on Germany’s southern border, according to reports, as leading members of his Christian Social Union, junior partners in Merkel’s government, urged the chancellor to back down over her opposition to turning away refugees if they have already applied for asylum in another EU country or had their applications rejected in Germany. |
| Merkel, who is in her fourth term as chancellor, has rarely found herself in such a precarious position. If Seehofer goes ahead and implements the most contested part of his immigration “masterplan”, she will have little choice but to sack him. But that would also lead to the collapse of her government, which has been in power for less than 100 days, and would almost inevitably end her chancellorship. | Merkel, who is in her fourth term as chancellor, has rarely found herself in such a precarious position. If Seehofer goes ahead and implements the most contested part of his immigration “masterplan”, she will have little choice but to sack him. But that would also lead to the collapse of her government, which has been in power for less than 100 days, and would almost inevitably end her chancellorship. |
| A source from the interior ministry told German media that Seehofer would be able to implement his plan at any time. “All that’s needed is a phone call,” the source said. | A source from the interior ministry told German media that Seehofer would be able to implement his plan at any time. “All that’s needed is a phone call,” the source said. |
| Merkel is continuing to insist the only answer to the issue is a pan-European one, arguing that national border controls will only speed up the collapse of the passport-free Schengen system which applies to most EU countries. | Merkel is continuing to insist the only answer to the issue is a pan-European one, arguing that national border controls will only speed up the collapse of the passport-free Schengen system which applies to most EU countries. |
| Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, on Friday said she was firmly opposed to unilateral moves to turn back refugees that could increase pressures on countries such as Italy and Greece. | |
| “We must not contribute to weakening the European Union and purely national measures setting the tone again in Europe,” Seibert said. “Then Europe wouldn’t play the strong role in the world that’s required now.” | |
| The row reached new heights on Thursday after the regular Bundestag session was interrupted for four hours, allowing the CDU and CSU parliamentary groups to meet for emergency talks. Merkel received the backing of her party to wait until an EU summit at the end of the month at which she hopes an EU-wide asylum policy can be agreed on. She reportedly said she felt “strengthened” by the party support and was not expecting her government to collapse. | The row reached new heights on Thursday after the regular Bundestag session was interrupted for four hours, allowing the CDU and CSU parliamentary groups to meet for emergency talks. Merkel received the backing of her party to wait until an EU summit at the end of the month at which she hopes an EU-wide asylum policy can be agreed on. She reportedly said she felt “strengthened” by the party support and was not expecting her government to collapse. |
| But with other EU members, most prominently Italy and France, at loggerheads on the issue, and with Merkel having admitted herself it is highly unlikely a European deal can be reached so quickly, the decision to wait until 28 June might do little other than buy Merkel a stay of execution. | But with other EU members, most prominently Italy and France, at loggerheads on the issue, and with Merkel having admitted herself it is highly unlikely a European deal can be reached so quickly, the decision to wait until 28 June might do little other than buy Merkel a stay of execution. |
| The CSU has said it is not prepared to wait for two weeks. Markus Söder, the minister president of Bavaria and a leading member of the CSU, said: “Why will we achieve something in two weeks that was not possible in three years?” referring to the refugee crisis of summer 2015. Then Merkel agreed to keep Germany’s borders open, allowing almost a million refugees to enter Germany amid dispute and disarray across Europe as many governments refused to cooperate. | The CSU has said it is not prepared to wait for two weeks. Markus Söder, the minister president of Bavaria and a leading member of the CSU, said: “Why will we achieve something in two weeks that was not possible in three years?” referring to the refugee crisis of summer 2015. Then Merkel agreed to keep Germany’s borders open, allowing almost a million refugees to enter Germany amid dispute and disarray across Europe as many governments refused to cooperate. |
| That decision, for which she was praised and condemned in equal measure, has continued to gnaw at the stability of German politics and is blamed for helping the rightwing populist anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) into the Bundestag. | That decision, for which she was praised and condemned in equal measure, has continued to gnaw at the stability of German politics and is blamed for helping the rightwing populist anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) into the Bundestag. |
| The CSU’s party executive is due to meet on Monday to hammer out its position on the issue, while the CDU’s leadership is to assemble on the same day, meaning a renewed showdown between the two partners – who until the refugee crisis had cooperated in relative harmony for decades – is to be expected. | The CSU’s party executive is due to meet on Monday to hammer out its position on the issue, while the CDU’s leadership is to assemble on the same day, meaning a renewed showdown between the two partners – who until the refugee crisis had cooperated in relative harmony for decades – is to be expected. |
| The stubborn stance of the CSU, which is strongest in the southern state of Bavaria, has been put down to its upcoming state elections, where it faces a drubbing by the AfD to which it has already lost millions of voters. | The stubborn stance of the CSU, which is strongest in the southern state of Bavaria, has been put down to its upcoming state elections, where it faces a drubbing by the AfD to which it has already lost millions of voters. |
| Söder insisted the CSU was not staging a putsch to topple Merkel. “It’s about restoring trust in the German state of law which has been shattered,” he said. | Söder insisted the CSU was not staging a putsch to topple Merkel. “It’s about restoring trust in the German state of law which has been shattered,” he said. |
| The finance minister, Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats, also partners in the coalition, accused the CDU and CSU of thinking they were in a fantasy thriller. | The finance minister, Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats, also partners in the coalition, accused the CDU and CSU of thinking they were in a fantasy thriller. |
| “The task of governing our country is not an episode of Game of Thrones, rather a serious matter,” he tweeted on Friday. | “The task of governing our country is not an episode of Game of Thrones, rather a serious matter,” he tweeted on Friday. |
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