Germany's Merkel confident of forming new coalition after 2009 election

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that her conservatives appear well-positioned to change their coalition partner at next year's election, breaking out of an alliance with their center-left rivals. Merkel was forced into a coalition with predecessor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats after barely winning elections in 2005. She has recently made clear that she hopes to replace them with the pro-business Free Democrats after the next vote, expected in September 2009. The current coalition is "not a long-term model," Merkel said at a news conference. She added that prospects for her party look bright. "I think we have every chance to do very, very well at the next election and there are also good chances of continuing our work in a different coalition," she added. While Merkel's personal popularity has grown since... [read full story]