BONN: Germany’s centre-left Social Democrats voted on Sunday to begin formal coalition talks with Chan­cellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, bringing Eu­r­ope’s top economy a step closer to a new government after months of deadlock.

At a special party congress in the western city of Bonn, 372 out of 642 party delegates backed SPD chief Martin Schulz’s push to approve a preliminary coalition deal painstakingly hammered out with Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc.

The thumbs-up will come as a huge relief to Merkel, staving off the threat of snap polls or the unappealing prospect of leading an unstable minority government.

It also means a reprieve for Schulz who had staked his political future on a “yes” vote, despite initially rejecting another stint as Merkel’s junior coalition partner.

“We are relieved, the res­ult shows that we had to fight for this majority,” Schulz said.

The vote, which was clos­ely watched in Germany and abroad, paves the way for negotiators to launch in-depth negotiations this week.

If the talks are successfully concluded, a new government could be in place by mid-March — nearly six months after September’s tricky election.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2018