Germany could have a new chancellor on November 22 _ more than two months after inconclusive parliamentary elections _ party officials said Tuesday, but only if the two leading parties can agree on how to plug a ¤35 billion (nearly US$42 billion) budget shortfall. Members of Chancellor-designate Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats met Monday for a five-hour round of negotiations with their prospective coalition partners, the left-of-center Social Democrats. The talks concentrated on how to plug the nation's financial gap by the end of 2006 in order to bring Germany within European Union budget limits in 2007. "We want to master the problems, but will have to make big, big efforts" to tackle the problems left by outgoing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's seven-year tenure, Merkel told reporters. Merkel said there were still "considerable differences" over exactly how to tackle the budget deficit and reform Germany's tightly regulated labor market. Both she and Social Democrat leaders said, however, that they were confident they would find an agreement by mid-November, opening the way for her to become the country's first female chancellor. Members of her Christian Democrats said Tuesday the vote to formally approve of Merkel as chancellor could take place on Nov. 22, should the negotiations proceed as planned, The Associated Press reported.
