BERLIN -- Germany has a postwar tradition of two-party coalition
governments, and the next government is likely to continue that
string.  The two most likely combinations would ensure that
Chancellor Angela Merkel gets a second term. But an array of
other party groupings could come into consideration if pre-
election polls are proven wrong by a splintered vote.  Germany's
Political Parties    • BLACK: Merkel's center-right Christian
Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister Christian Social Union
-- CDU/CSU.   • RED: The center-left Social Democratic Party --
SPD.   • YELLOW: The Free Democratic Party -- FDP.   • DARK RED:
The former communist Left Party.   • GREEN: The environmentally
focused Green Party.   Germans keep track of their leading
political parties with color coding, which also are used in
combination when discussing possible coalitions to form a
parliamentary majority. The exception is the current grouping of
Ms. Merkel's CDU/CSU and the SPD, called a "grand coalition"
because it includes Germany'