Critics in Merkel's Conservatives Vow to Block Coalition Projects

 The business wing of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives on Saturday vowed to block certain projects included in this week's coalition agreement with the Social Democrats (SPD), as tensions roiled both political blocs, Reuters reported. 

Christian von Stetten of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) said lawmakers in parliament - not coalition negotiators - had the ultimate say on policies, and had gained power since elections last year because the coalition parties now hold only a slender majority.

"The coalition agreement is not the Bible," von Stetten told the German Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper.

"As the parliamentary group for medium-sized business, we can make sure that those things that were well-intentioned but not carefully thought through can be held up and corrected."

He did not elaborate. Von Stetten has been critical of Merkel's ceding of the finance ministry to the centre-left SPD under the coalition deal.

A majority of conservatives in parliament belong to the group, which advocates for small- and medium-sized businesses.

Merkel, who will serve a fourth term as chancellor if the coalition deal holds, has also faced criticism from her party's youth wing and others who feel she made too many concessions to the SPD.

Merkel is anxious to get a government in place and end more than four months of political limbo in Europe's largest economy. The political paralysis has caused concern among partners in the European Union who look to Berlin for leadership in facing challenges ranging from eurozone reform to Brexit.

Von Stetten said he would have preferred a conservative-led minority government to the coalition deal that Merkel agreed with...