Germany: A New Government Is off to a Weak Start

Angela Merkel's historic fourth term as chancellor of Germany isn't off to a good start. The parliament elected her to another four-year term March 14, but she won the post by a bare majority of nine votes. The grand coalition of her Christian Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union and the Social Democratic Party controls 399 seats. Merkel needed 355 votes and she got 364. That weak support, coming six months after parliamentary elections, reflects the lingering opposition to the alliance and bodes ill for domestic legislation and European Union negotiations....