Merkel takes aim at SPD's Scholz over far-left coalition option

[August 31, 2021]  BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday the possibility that Social Democrat Olaf Scholz could try to form a coalition with the far-left Linke party after a Sept. 26 national election was one "huge difference" between them.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks with Finance Minister Olaf Scholz at the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany June 9, 2021. Markus Schreiber/Pool via REUTERS

Scholz has consciously aped Merkel's style during campaigning and a snap poll showed he beat other candidates in a televised debate on Sunday. However, when pressed during the debate, he did not rule out a coalition with the Linke.

"With me as chancellor there would never be a coalition in which the Linke is involved, and whether this (stance) is shared by Olaf Scholz or not remains open," Merkel told a joint news conference with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

"In this context, there is simply a huge difference for the future of Germany between me and him," she added.

(Reporting by Paul Carrel, editing by Thomas Escritt)

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