Rift deepens in ruling coalition after Free Democrats’ nuclear u-turn

German Liberals faced harsh criticism from their coalition partners, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, in late March 2011, after suddenly proposing old reactors should be switched off permanently and as soon as possible.

While Chancellor Merkel had opted for a three-month moratorium and a thorough debate on the coalition's earlier decision to extend the lifespans of Germany's nuclear reactors, the FDP's secretary general, Christian Lindner, took a more radical line.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Germany: The lights go out / Berlin shifts stance on nuclear power http://www.europeansources.info/record/germany-the-lights-go-out-berlin-shifts-stance-on-nuclear-power/

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