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
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