Merkel Calls for Compromise as East-West Gap Risks Social Fabric
- Chancellor comments ahead of votes in eastern German states
- Elections are expected to draw a large populist turnout
Angela Merkel speaks after receiving an honorary doctorate from the Leipzig Graduate School of Management (HHL), Aug. 31.
Photographer: Jan Woitas/picture alliance via Getty Images
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Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a better exchange of ideas between different parts of Germany as social tensions in the former communist east look set to contribute to bruising electoral losses for the parties in her coalition.
Speaking after receiving an honorary degree from a university in Leipzig, where she was a student, Merkel cautioned that finding common ground was key to counter the risk of populism tearing at the country’s social fabric.