Merkel Courts Government Crisis in Refugee Clash With Allies
- Echoes of 2015-16 refugee emergency expose her vulnerability
- Bavarian party leverages its key role in her government
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel refused to back down in a clash over migration policy with her Bavarian allies, heightening the risk of a political crisis that could threaten her 13-year hold on power.
Berlin’s government district is abuzz with speculation about who might blink first as Bavaria’s ruling party -- the sister party of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union -- demands that Germany start turning away some refugees at the border, a measure the chancellor rejects. The dispute is part of a resurgent crisis over refugee policy, fueled by the electoral successes of anti-immigration parties across Europe.