Christian Democratic Union of Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she will consult Monday with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier after weeks of talks to form a coalition government fell apart with one potential partner withdrawing from the process.

Exploratory talks to form Germany’s next coalition government collapsed shortly before midnight on Sunday when the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) walked out of marathon negotiations.

Talks on forming a new German coalition government "can work", Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday ahead of a long night of negotiations at which she must forge a three-way alliance or risk seeing her 12-year stint in power come to an end, reported Reuters. 

The German parties hoping to form a new government led by Chancellor Angela Merkel face a make-or-break deadline Thursday, when they will either agree to pursue a tricky three-way coalition -- or risk a snap election, AFP reports.

The parties that are considering joining forces in Germany's next government found common ground in talks on education and digital infrastructure on Monday, but remain far apart on issues that provoked stormy clashes among them last week, Reuters reports. 

Angela Merkel has agreed to cap the number of refugees Germany accepts at 200,000 annually in a concession to her conservative Bavarian allies that has overcome the first hurdle to coalition talks with other parties, the Guardian reported.

Two weeks after winning elections with a reduced majority, Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed on Sunday to limit Germany’s refugee intake in a bid to unite her conservative camp ahead of tough coalition talks to form a new government.

Bavaria's conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) wants talks on forming a new German government to focus on security and curbing immigration, a senior party official said, after sharp gains by a far-right party in Sept. 24's federal election.

"We warned you that the far right is on the rise," said Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan on Sept. 25, implicitly addressing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as if she was not aware of the rise in xenophobic, even racist votes in her own country. Merkel had lost some votes in Germany's election on Sept.

Parliamentary elections in Germany have resulted in the fourth consecutive victory of Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has apparently lost considerable support and received the second worst result in elections since 1949. In spite of the loss, however, Merkel still maintains the leading role of her party in the German political system.