Merkel’s Party Says Putin Would Like to See Her Fall in 2017

German voters would hand a victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin if they ousted Chancellor Angela Merkel in next year’s election, a leader of her party said. A coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and the anti-capitalist Left party governing Europe’s biggest economy would be more to Putin’s liking, Michael Grosse-Broemer, parliamentary whip of Merkel’s Christian Democrat-led bloc, said Tuesday. That’s in line with the chancellor’s campaign message that her party faces an unprecedented two-prong challenge from the political left and right in the election expected to be held in September. --More...