Photo: AFP
After protracted talks, Angela Merkel’s conservatives have made a deal with the Social Democrats over a new coalition contract in Germany. The SPD confirmed this in a message to its members, who will have the final say, Deutsche Welle reports.
They needed an extra few days, but negotiators from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), their Bavarian partners the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) appear to have finally hashed out a contract for a new grand coalition government — probably ensuring that Angela Merkel will stay in office for a fourth tenure as German chancellor.
Early reports suggested that the SPD would be handed the Finance Ministry – a major gain for the Social Democrats – while CSU leader Horst Seehofer, one of the most conservative figures on Merkel’s side, would become Interior Minister. The SPD also look set to keep control of the Foreign Ministry and the Labor Ministry.
