Germany: Social Democrats sign up to new Merkel-led German government - by Thomas Escritt, Michelle Martin

Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) decisively backed another coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives on Sunday, clearing the way for a new government in Europe’s largest economy after months of political uncertainty.

Two thirds of the membership voted“yes” to the deal in a ballot — a wider margin than many had expected. That means Merkel could be sworn in for a fourth term as early as the middle of the month, in a repeat of the grand coalition that has governed since 2013.

Read more: Germany Social Democrats sign up to new Merkel-led German government

Angela Merkel′s CDU approves grand coalition deal

The chancellor's conservative party has given a green light to forming a new government with the Social Democrats. But despite the harmonious front, the internal tensions in the party are impossible to ignore.

Read more: Angela Merkel′s CDU approves grand coalition deal | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 26.02.2018

Germany: Merkel calls for younger ministers in new government

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for younger members of her party to fill ministerial positions in the new government.

"We need to ensure that not only the over-60s are considered but also younger people," she told German TV.

She also defended "painful" concessions made to the the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) to clinch a coalition deal.

The deal followed months of wrangling after an inconclusive election.

However it still needs to be approved by the SPD's 460,000 members, with the result due in March.

On Friday SPD leader Martin Schulz abandoned a plan to serve as foreign minister in the new government, saying he did not want debate about his role to jeopardise the new coalition.

"Now we need to show that we can start with a new team," Mrs Merkel said. The CDU has six ministerial posts to fill.

Read more: Germany: Merkel calls for younger ministers in new government - BBC News

Germany formation of new government: German SPD votes for coalition talks with Merkel's CDU

Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) voted on Sunday, January 21,  to begin formal coalition talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, moving Europe’s economic powerhouse one step closer to a stable government after months of political deadlock.

SPD delegates voted by 362 to 279, with one abstention, to press ahead with negotiations. The center-left party’s leaders had agreed a preliminary coalition blueprint with Merkel’s conservative bloc earlier this month.

A recount was held after an initial show of hands was too close for the SPD official in charge of the count to call.

Just before delegates voted, SPD leader Martin Schulz made an impassioned plea for a ‘yes’, telling them their decision was being watched across Germany and Europe.

Read more: German SPD votes for coalition talks with Merkel

Germany: German coalition talks reach breakthrough: A look at what comes next

The all-nighter appears to have focused minds: Germany's two biggest political parties — the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) — announced on Friday morning that they had made a breakthrough in their exploratory talks, paving the way to formal coalition negotiations and, if all goes to plan, another iteration of the grand coalition.

The new agreement represents an important stage victory in the marathon negotiations for Chancellor Angela Merkel, who would certainly prefer a grand coalition to the other two options currently on the table: heading an unstable minority government, or a new election.

Should the negotiations with the SPD fail, a new election could well usher in the end of Merkel's time in office, as her CDU attempts to revive its fortunes following its worst election results ever. Her party took 32.9 percent in September's election, a drop of 8.6 percentage points on the 2013 result. This has resulted in much self-reflection in the party, along with speculation that Merkel's era was drawing to a close — and even debate about potential successors.

Read more: German coalition talks reach breakthrough: A look at what comes next | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 12.01.2018

Germany: Formation new Government; Merkel and Schulz aim to wrap up initial talks by mid-January – by Janosch Delcker

Angela Merkel’s conservatives and Martin Schulz’s Social Democrats want to wrap up their first inner-circle talks on forming Germany’s next coalition government by January 12, in what will be the chancellor’s last chance to form a stable government.

Top party officials from Merkel’s CDU, its Bavarian sister party the CSU, and Schulz’s SPD met Wednesday to discuss the timeline of the talks. They agreed exploratory talks would begin on January 7, with negotiators hoping to present the results to their party faithful five days later. Schulz

had tweeted Tuesday that he did not expect the talks to take off until after a CSU party summit on January 6.

“It was a good conversation in an atmosphere based on trust,” the three parties said in a joint statement about the meeting.

Read more: Merkel and Schulz aim to wrap up initial talks by mid-January – POLITICO

Germany′s Angela Merkel and SPD assess chances for grand coalition

Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of Germany's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), is set to meet Social Democrats (SPD) leader Martin Schulz on Wednesday evening for the first unmediated discussions about whether to extend the country's current "grand coalition" government.

After their worst electoral performance in post-war German history, the SPD is wary about signing on for another stint as the junior partners to the CDU, along with their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). Indeed, Schulz twice categorically dismissed another grand coalition before being forced to change his position.

"It certainly wasn't a very good idea to rule out entering into another grand coalition so soon," political scientist Lothar Probst of Bremen University told DW. "But naturally the SPD still feels the pains of two grand coalitions in nine years, and many members of the grass roots — and not only there — feel that another one would be to their detriment."

Read more: Germany′s Angela Merkel and SPD assess chances for grand coalition | Germany | DW | 13.12.2017

Germany Facing a Return to the Grand Coalition

On Thursday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier received the two party leaders for a long discussion, but even in the days leading up to that meeting, it had become clear that the two were eagerly burying the hatchet to lay the groundwork for a possible coalition. Schulz and Merkel, together with Horst Seehofer, who leads the Bavarian conservatives, now intend to explore the possibility of slapping together another governing coalition - the same "grand coalition" that voters so clearly rejected in the general election in late September.

As a group, Germans are thought to value political stability. But a repeat of the SPD-conservative coalition is the kind of stability that wouldn't be good for the country. The last four years have shown that a grand coalition is a static alliance, one that is good at spending money but not as adept at moving projects forward - aside from the project of right-wing populism, of course.

Deputy SPD head Olaf Scholz said recently that a rebirth of the grand coalition would "have negative consequences for our democracy." It would also mean that the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) would be the strongest party in opposition. That means it would always have the privilege in parliament of delivering the first rebuttal to Merkel's speeches.

Nevertheless, for the leaders of the parties involved, a grand coalition isn't completely unattractive
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For Merkel, it represents the best opportunity to secure her power, a motive that has long been important to her. And SPD head Martin Schulz already seems to be practicing the arguments he hopes to use at next week's party congress to convince unwilling delegates of the utility of another alliance with Merkel's conservatives.

Read more: Germany Facing a Return to the Grand Coalition - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Germany: Merkel reaches coalition deal with Social Democrats - by Jessica SALTZ

Berlin Brandenburg Tor

German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed to form a coalition government with the Social Democrats early on Wednesday morning, two months after her conservative party won elections but fell short of a full majority.

Germany’s two biggest political forces negotiated through the night and reached a breakthrough at about 5am (4am GMT).

Two months after Merkel’s election victory and a month after coalition talks began, the agreement, if ratified, would enable her to form a government by Christmas – if the SPD gets approval from its 474,000 party members.

The outcome of the rank-and-file postal ballot remains far from certain because many SPD members reject the notion of their traditionally blue-collar party again governing in the shadow of Merkel, as it last did 2005-09.

After that uneasy political marriage, the SPD scored two humiliating electoral defeats in a row and won less than 26% against the conservatives' nearly 42% in the September 22 ballot.

In the protracted talks, the SPD scored a major victory on its core demand, a minimum wage of 8.50 euros ($11.50) per hour from early 2015.

The move aims to narrow a wealth gap brought about by decade-old labour reforms but should also cheer critics in the US, the IMF and Europe who want the export-power to stimulate domestic demand and correct its lopsided trade balance.

The SPD also pushed through a demand for a 30% women's quota on the boards of listed companies from 2016, and an easing of a ban on dual nationality, a key demand of Germany's large Turkish immigrant community, sources said.

Both sides also agreed on pension increases to protect retirees in rapidly ageing Germany, where many elderly are growing scared of suffering poverty in old age.

Read more: Merkel reaches coalition deal with Social Democrats - GERMANY - FRANCE 24

Is Europe headed for divorce? - by Timothy Garton Ash

Now that the German elections are over, Germany and France will launch a great initiative to save the European project. Marking the centennial of 1914 and World War I, this will contrast favorably with the weak and confused leadership under which Europe stumbled 100 years ago. Before the May elections to the European Union Parliament, the Franco-German duo's decisive action and inspiring oratory will drive back the anti-EU parties that are gaining ground in so many European countries.

In your dreams, Mr. and Ms. Pro-European Union. A new German government won't be formed until just before Christmas. In the German coalition negotiations, European affairs are being handled by — wait for it — a subgroup of the working group on finance. For the three participating parties — Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, the Bavarian Christian Social Union and the opposition Social Democrats — the hot-button issues are all domestic: the minimum wage, energy policy, dual citizenship, a proposed road toll; these things count for more than the future of the continent.

The trouble with grand coalitions is that because mainstream, centrist parties are burdened with the responsibility of government, the field of opposition is left wide open for the protest parties. On the other hand, if the anti-parties succeed at the polls, it could at last mobilize a younger generation of Europeans to defend achievements they take for granted.

It won't be 1914, but 100 years on, Europe will again be living in interesting times.

Note EU-Digest: always great pessimism about Europe from our "Anglo-Saxon Partners" .

Read more: Is Europe headed for divorce? - latimes.com

Germany: Merkel Sees Biggest Victory Since Kohl’s Reunification Vote - by Tony Czuczka and Brian Parkin

Angela Merkel won an overwhelming endorsement from German voters, putting the country’s first female chancellor on course for the biggest election tally since Helmut Kohl’s post-reunification victory of 1990.

Merkel’s Christian Democratic bloc took 41.8 percent in today’s election to 25.5 percent for the Social Democrats of Peer Steinbrueck, projections on ZDF television as of 8:57 p.m. showed. Earlier forecasts had her group with a one-seat majority in the lower house for only the second time since World War II after Konrad Adenauer in 1957.

The euro gained even as her lead later shrank below a majority.

“This is a super result,” Merkel, who is now set to become the fourth chancellor since the war to win a third term, told supporters at her party’s headquarters in Berlin. “To the voters, I promise that we will handle it responsibly and with care. We will do everything we can in the next four years to ensure that they’re once again successful years for Germany.”

Read more: Merkel Sees Biggest Victory Since Kohl’s Reunification Vote - Businessweek