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Migration triggers political crisis that threatens to sink Merkel's government Andy Eckardt and Alastair Jamieson and ReutersMAINZ, Germany — Not even 100 days after she negotiated her way to a fourth term as German leader, Angela Merkel is mired in a political crisis that underscores Europe's divisions over immigration amid a surge in populism.The German chancellor faces a showdown with her own interior minister that threatens not only her fragile ruling aliance but also her European Union-wide vision of cooperation to deal with the migrant crisis.The world's most powerful woman will embark on a weekend of talks ahead of a Monday meeting that could decide her future — and potentially signal the end of the Merkel era. She has been in power since 2005.Along with French President Emmanuel Macron, Merkel is seen as one of the last bastions of European liberal democracy amid the rise of populism across the continent.Merkel may be forced to make a U-turn on her open-door policy which has already been scaled back since Germany opened its borders to welcome around 1 million ayslum-seekers in 2015. At times more than 10,000 people were arriving daily in the country, which had a population of around 81 million.Her refugee policy is widely blamed for a surge in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which became the main opposition party after last September's inconclusive election.Gemany's political turmoil comes amid a rise in populism and anti-immigration sentiment across Europe, including in neighbors such as Poland, Austria and Hungary.Conservative Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, a vocal critic of Merkel's migration policy, this week pushed for an "axis of the willing" among Austria, Germany and Italy to fight illegal migration.It is a view shared by German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who wants to reject migrants at his country's border if they have already registered in other E.U. states to the south.In March, Seehofer told a newspaper that "Islam does not belong to Germany." Seehofer is a member of Merkel's CSU Bavarian allies, who are further to the right than her own Christian Democrats (CDU). He has also vowed to implement a "master plan for quicker deportations." Read more at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/migration-triggers-political-crisis-that-threatens-to-sink-merkels-government/ar-AAyGA8z
Well, gut.
