The chairman of the German Free Democratic party FDP Christian Lindner attends a board meeting at the party's headquarters in Berlin, Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. (Markus Schreiber)

The chairman of the German Free Democratic party FDP Christian Lindner attends a board meeting at the party's headquarters in Berlin, Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. (Markus Schreiber)

BERLIN (AP) — The Latest on Germany’s political uncertainty (all times local):

5:35 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is “very skeptical” about the idea of running a minority government and new election would be a better option if it’s not possible to form a coalition.

Merkel’s attempt to build a coalition of her conservatives and two smaller parties collapsed on Sunday. Her partners in the outgoing government, the center-left Social Democrats, insisted on Monday that they won’t renew the alliance.

No other politically plausible combination has a parliamentary majority — leaving a minority government or a new election as the only options.

Merkel said in an interview with ARD public television’s Brennpunkt program: “I don’t have a minority government in my plans....I don’t want to say never today, but I am very skeptical and I think that new elections would then be the better way.”

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2:55 p.m.

The leader of Germany’s Free Democrats has defended his decision to torpedo talks on forming a coalition government with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc and the Greens, saying compromises needed would have gone against the pro-business party’s fundamental principles.

Christian Lindner told reporters Monday his party had attempted compromises but still found suggestions over its key topics of migration policies, financial issues and education too far removed from the “change in policies” that Germans voted for in the elections.

He says: “if the FDP had agreed to these, we would have had to abandon our fundamental positions.”

He says with such strife over trying to establish the framework for formal coalition negotiations, his party lost “confidence that a stable government could be formed with this constellation” of parties.

Lindner spoke before President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged all parties to reconsider their positions so a government could be formed.

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2:45 p.m.

Germany’s president is urging his country’s political parties to reconsider their positions and make it possible to form a new government.

Conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel’s talks on forming a coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats and traditionally left-leaning Greens collapsed Sunday night. On Monday, the center-left Social Democrats — Merkel’s partners in the outgoing government — said they won’t budge from their refusal to enter a new Merkel administration.

If that stands, a minority government or new elections are the only options. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who would have to decide on those options, said he will meet the various parties this week and urged them to rethink.

Steinmeier said: “There would be incomprehension and great concern inside and outside our country, and particularly in our European neighborhood, if the political forces in the biggest and economically strongest country in Europe of all places didn’t fulfill their responsibility.”

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2:15 p.m.

The leader of Germany’s main center-left party says it will stick by its refusal to join a new government under conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The Social Democrats have been the junior partners in a “grand coalition” government of Germany’s biggest parties since 2013. But their leaders have said since the party slumped to its worst election result since World War II in September that it would go into opposition.

Party chairman Martin Schulz said Monday that the Social Democrats are “not available” for a repeat of the outgoing coalition. He said that, after the election, “it was clear that the ‘grand coalition’ had got the red card.”

Schulz said that his party isn’t afraid of a new election. Merkel’s attempt to form a government with other partners collapsed Sunday night.

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12:55 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed concerns about the collapse of negotiations to form a coalition government led by Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany.

Speaking in Paris on Monday, Macron said “it’s not in our interest for it to get tense.”

Preliminary coalition talks broke down late Sunday after the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) bowed out of the negotiations with Merkel’s conservative bloc and the left-leaning Greens. FDP leader Christian Lindner said his party pulled out of the talks rather than further compromise its principles

Macron said he had spoken to Merkel Sunday night and believed that the declarations of pro-business FDP President Christian Lindner “were quite hard.”

The relationship between France and Germany, the eurozone’s two strongest economies, is seen as the driving force behind the European Union.

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11:20 a.m.

Germany’s main business group is calling on the country’s mainstream political parties to show responsibility and make compromises after the failure of coalition talks.

The head of the Federation of German Industries, or BDI, said Monday that “economic stability needs political stability.” Dieter Kempf said that German industry faces “enormous challenges” despite the country’s good current economic situation.

He pointed to “global crises, the need for reform in Europe and urgent decisions for investment” in Germany itself, and said that requires more than a caretaker government.

Kempf said that “all parties must be prepared to make compromises for growth, prosperity and employment.”

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10:50 a.m.

The Netherlands’ foreign minister says new elections in Germany, the European Union’s most populous member, would be “the worst scenario.”

Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra said in Brussels Monday that “Germany is a very important country in Europe and thus it will become difficult to take important decisions in Brussels.”

Zijlstra noted that it took the Netherlands seven months to form a new government after an election earlier this year. Coalition talks in Germany collapsed on Sunday night, nearly two months after elections.

Zijlstra said: “So I’d say, think about it again, and maybe it is better to talk again than to have elections again.”

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10:40 a.m.

Germany’s main center-left party says the parties that failed to form a new government have put the country “in a difficult situation.”

The Social Democrats have been the junior partners in a “grand coalition” government of Germany’s biggest parties since 2013. But their leaders have said since the party slumped to its worst election result since World War II in September that it would go into opposition.

The party’s general secretary, Hubertus Heil, said Monday that the party’s position “is known” and said party leaders will now consider how to proceed. He didn’t elaborate ahead of a planned appearance by party leader Martin Schulz Monday afternoon.

Four weeks of talks between Merkel’s Union bloc, the pro-business Free Democrats and the traditionally left-leaning Greens collapsed Sunday night.

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8:20 a.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to meet with the country’s president after talks on forming a new government collapsed in the night, raising the possibility of new elections.

Merkel will meet President Frank-Walter Steinmeier later on Monday to brief him on the negotiations and discuss what comes next.

Preliminary coalition talks broke down late Sunday after the pro-business Free Democrats bowed out of the negotiations with Merkel’s conservative bloc and the left-leaning Greens.

Beside the possibility of new elections, Merkel could attempt to continue her current coalition with the Social Democrats — which that party has said it will not do — or she could try to go ahead with a minority government.

Free Democrats leader Christian Lindner told reporters his party pulled out of the weekslong talks rather than further compromise its principles.