Editing Angela Merkel (section)

==== Election ====
In the [[2017 German federal election|2017 federal election]], Merkel led her party to victory for the fourth time. However, both the CDU/CSU and the SPD received a significantly lower proportion of the vote than they did in 2013, and the CDU/CSU subsequently attempted to form a coalition with the FDP and Greens.<ref>{{cite news |agency=dpa |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/jamaika-koalition-angela-merkel-laedt-fuer-mittwoch-zu-sondierungsgespraechen-a-1172064.html|title=Koalition: Merkel lädt ab Mittwoch kommender Woche zu Jamaika-Gesprächen|date=9 October 2017|work=Der Spiegel|access-date=28 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015015957/http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/jamaika-koalition-angela-merkel-laedt-fuer-mittwoch-zu-sondierungsgespraechen-a-1172064.html|archive-date=15 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last1=Paun | first1=Carmen | title=Angela Merkel Ready to Move Forward with Jamaica Coalition | url=http://www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-ready-to-move-forward-with-jamaica-coalition/ | date=7 October 2017 | work=[[Politico]] | access-date=9 October 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007204453/http://www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-ready-to-move-forward-with-jamaica-coalition/ | archive-date=7 October 2017 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The SPD announced that they would go into the Opposition, both due to their loss of popular support and because the idea of another grand coalition was widely unpopular at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 July 2021 |title=Die Bundestagswahl 2017 und ihre Folgen |url=https://www.bpb.de/shop/zeitschriften/izpb/336545/die-bundestagswahl-2017-und-ihre-folgen/ |access-date=4 June 2023 |website=bpb.de |language=de |archive-date=4 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604093937/https://www.bpb.de/shop/zeitschriften/izpb/336545/die-bundestagswahl-2017-und-ihre-folgen/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=20 November 2017 |title=SPD: Martin Schulz schließt große Koalition aus |language=de |work=Der Spiegel |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/jamaika-aus-spd-will-neuwahlen-und-stellt-sich-gegen-grosse-koalition-a-1179376.html |access-date=4 June 2023 |issn=2195-1349 |archive-date=4 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604093937/https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/jamaika-aus-spd-will-neuwahlen-und-stellt-sich-gegen-grosse-koalition-a-1179376.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Positionierung CDU und SPD – Keine Große Koalition um jeden Preis |url=https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/positionierung-cdu-und-spd-keine-grosse-koalition-um-jeden-100.html |access-date=4 June 2023 |website=Deutschlandfunk |date=27 November 2017 |language=de |archive-date=4 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604093937/https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/positionierung-cdu-und-spd-keine-grosse-koalition-um-jeden-100.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The FDP eventually withdrew from negotiations with the CDU/CSU, leading to a stalemate.<ref name="Connolly">{{cite news|last1=Connolly|first1=Kate|title=Germany's SPD is ready for talks to end coalition deadlock|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/24/germany-spd-ready-for-talks-to-end-political-crisis-angela-merkel|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=24 November 2017|location=Berlin|date=24 November 2017|archive-date=24 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171124134203/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/24/germany-spd-ready-for-talks-to-end-political-crisis-angela-merkel|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=23 June 2021 |title=Bundestagswahl 2017: Die ewigen Sondierungsgespräche |url=https://www.fr.de/politik/bundestagswahl-2017-ewige-sondierungsgespraeche-90819103.html |access-date=4 June 2023 |website=www.fr.de |language=de |archive-date=4 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604093945/https://www.fr.de/politik/bundestagswahl-2017-ewige-sondierungsgespraeche-90819103.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The German President [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]] subsequently appealed successfully to the SPD to change their hard stance against coalition with the CDU/CSU, and the SPD agreed to a third grand coalition with the CDU/CSU.<ref name="GrosseKoalition">{{cite news|title=Bundestag wählt Angela Merkel zum vierten Mal zur Bundeskanzlerin|date=14 March 2018|newspaper=[[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]]|url=https://www.nzz.ch/international/bundestag-waehlt-angela-merkel-zum-vierten-mal-zur-bundeskanzlerin-ld.1365837|agency=dpa|access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603170016/https://www.nzz.ch/international/bundestag-waehlt-angela-merkel-zum-vierten-mal-zur-bundeskanzlerin-ld.1365837|url-status=live}}</ref> The negotiations leading up to this agreement were the longest in German post-war history, lasting almost six months.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-never-ending-coalition-talks-break-record/a-41868786 |title=Germany's never-ending coalition talks break record |date=20 December 2017 |work=Deutsche Welle |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215022314/https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-never-ending-coalition-talks-break-record/a-41868786 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/04/germany-social-democrats-spd-vote-in-favour-of-coalition-angela-merkel|title=Merkel secures fourth term in power after SPD backs coalition deal|last=Oltermann|first=Philip|date=4 March 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=14 December 2018|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=15 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215070203/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/04/germany-social-democrats-spd-vote-in-favour-of-coalition-angela-merkel|url-status=live}}</ref>

A YouGov survey published in late December 2017 found that just 36% of all respondents wanted Merkel to stay at the helm until 2021, while half of those surveyed voters called for a change at the top before the end of the legislature.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.handelsblatt.com/english/politics/cdu-leadership-waning-support-puts-merkels-future-in-doubt/23573560.html |first=Daniel |last=Delhaes |date=28 December 2017 |title=Waning support puts Merkel's future in doubt |newspaper=Handelsblatt Global |access-date=29 December 2017 |archive-date=30 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130172208/https://www.handelsblatt.com/english/politics/cdu-leadership-waning-support-puts-merkels-future-in-doubt/23573560.html?ticket=ST-121866-QC2Tbfr4YXYWIcBgFQ0S-cas01.example.org |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Fourth Merkel cabinet]] was sworn in on 14 March 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2018/kw11-de-kanzlerwahl-546336|date=14 March 2018|title=Deutscher Bundestag – Angela Merkel mit 364 Stimmen zur Bundeskanzlerin gewählt|last=Müller|first=Volker|website=Deutscher Bundestag|language=de|access-date=14 December 2018|archive-date=12 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712161024/https://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2018/kw11-de-kanzlerwahl-546336|url-status=live}}</ref>