When, on 26 September, the German election delivered a narrow victory for the Social Democrats (SPD) and at least three possible coalition formations, politicos here in Berlin took a deep breath and braced for many months of talks that might last well into 2022 – prolonging Angela Merkel’s term in office by so long that she would overtake Helmut Kohl to become the longest-serving chancellor along the way. After all, following the 2017 election, it took almost half a year for Europe’s largest economy to get a government – and this year’s election result was even more fragmented.
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