Merkel clinches German coalition govt deal, hurdle remains
BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel finally reached a deal Wednesday to form a new German coalition government, handing the powerful finance ministry to the country’s main centre-left party in an agreement aimed at ending months of political gridlock.
The centre-left Social Democrats’ leaders now have one last major hurdle to overcome — winning their skeptical members’ approval of the deal.
Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union, its Bavaria-only sister, the Christian Social Union, and the centre-left Social Democrats agreed after a grueling final 24 hours of negotiations on a 177-page deal that promises “a new awakening for Europe.”
“I know that millions of citizens have been watching us closely on this long road over recent weeks,” Merkel said. “They had two justified demands of us: First, finally form a government — a stable government — and second, think … of people’s real needs and interests.”