Kai Pfaffenbach | Reuters
Christian Democratic Union CDU party leader and German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacts on first exit polls in the German general election.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, the pro-business Free Democrats and the environmentalist Greens decided to halt the talks for several hours after failing to make progress during what was to have been the final evening of the talks.
The mood had soured noticeably late on Thursday, with parties breaking off to huddle in their respective caucuses, and party officials trading accusations of blame.
“We’ll continue at noon today,” said Winfried Kretschmann, a Greens negotiator and premier of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
