Talks among four German parties seeking to form a coalition government after an election that weakened Chancellor Angela Merkel broke down on Sunday after the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) pulled out, citing irreconcilable differences.The decision by the FDP means that Merkel will either seek to form a minority government with the Greens or a new election will be held. “Today there was no progress but rather there were setbacks because targeted compromises were questioned,” FDP leader Christian Lindner told reporters. Hans Michelbach, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc, said earlier that an agreement had been reached with the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) to abolish the “solidarity tax” by 2021. The FDP had made abolishing the tax, which was due to expire in 2019, an election promise.