The German president has urged coalition talks to restart, but chancellor Angela Merkel said new elections might be "better".
Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued the call after meeting Merkel on Monday (20 November) to discuss the collapse of the so-called 'Jamaica' negotiations the night before.
"All political parties elected to the German parliament have an obligation to the common interest to serve our country", he said.
"I expect from all a readiness to talk to make agreeing...
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.