Germany’s coalition government is set to take power after the Social Democrats (SPD) voted to join forces with the CDU/CSU conservatives, clearing the way for Friedrich Merz to become chancellor next week.
The SPD, outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left party, will enter a coalition led by Merz’s centre-right CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, following their February election win with 28.5% of the vote. The SPD, which placed third with 16.4% — its worst result since WWII — was essential for forming a majority without the far-right AfD, which came second.
In an internal vote, 84.6% of SPD members backed the coalition agreement, with a 56% turnout.
SPD co-leader Lars Klingbeil will become vice-chancellor and finance minister, replacing the Greens’ Robert Habeck. Klingbeil has led the SPD since 2021 and began his political career in the party’s youth wing.
via Euronews