German President urges parties to 'rethink their position' as coalition talks disintegrate

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the President of Germany, said on Monday that he expected all parties elected to parliament to make every effort to enable the formation of a government after coalition talks fell apart earlier in the day.

"All political parties elected to the German parliament have an obligation to the common interest to serve our country," Steinmeier told the media.

"I expect from all a readiness to talk to make agreeing a government possible in the near future," he added.

Germany's political crisis, said to be the worst the nation had seen in the past 70 years, came after the German Free Democratic Party (FDP) announced it had withdrawn from discussions regarding a prospective 'Jamaica coalition' with the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU).

"This is the moment in which all participants must pause and rethink their position. All political parties elected to the Bundestag must act for the common good. I expect from the negotiators a demonstration of readiness to form a government in the foreseeable future," Steinmeier stressed.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) had already called for Chancellor Angela Merkel to resign and if a new government could not be formed then a new parliamentary election would need to be scheduled.