Ankara's eyes on new government in Berlin

Germans voted on Sept. 24 in a general election expected to hand Chancellor Angela Merkel a fourth term, with Turkey hoping that the recent crisis between the two NATO allies will ease with the new government.

Europe's most powerful woman appeared all but assured of winning another term, matching the 16-year reign of her mentor Helmut Kohl, while the hard-right nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) was expected to make history by winning its first seats in parliament.

Surveys suggest Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) alliance has a double-digit lead over its nearest rivals, the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) of Martin Schulz.

Home to some 3 million people of Turkish descent, Germany has traditionally had good relations with Turkey, which is also a major trade partner and tourist destination for German sun-seekers.

But German officials have been enraged by Turkey's arrest of around a dozen German citizens, including the German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel, who has been held in jail for more than 200 days.

Ankara and Berlin have been at odds, particularly since the July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. Relations became particularly tense after Merkel said she would support the end of Ankara's membership talks with the European Union in late August. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan previously urged Turkish citizens in Germany not to vote for Merkel or other major parties in the country, calling them "enemies of Turkey."

Turkey and Germany are also at odds over Berlin's refusal to extradite asylum seekers Ankara accuses of being involved in the July 15, 2016, failed coup attempt, widely believed to have been masterminded by the followers of the U.S.-based preacher...