'No shift left with us', vows would-be German kingmaker Lindner

FILE PHOTO: Leader of the German Free Democratic Party (FDP) Christian Lindner speaks during a session of the Bundestag, the country's parliament, ahead of the EU summit, in Berlin, Germany, March 25, 2021. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will not lurch to the left with a ruling coalition that includes the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), party chief Christian Lindner said on Thursday ahead of a Sept. 26 national election after which he aims to play kingmaker in coalition negotiations.

Opinion polls indicate that no two parties will command a comfortable majority after the vote, offering the FDP the chance to wield outsized influence in the era following Angela Merkel's exit after 16 years in power.