Germany To Have New Govt Within Weeks
Members of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) have voted to renew a coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), ending months of political deadlock.
The postal ballot saw 66.02% vote yes (239,604 voters) and 33.98% vote no (123,329 voters) to the grand coalition, SPD treasurer Dietmar Nietan announced Sunday.
Ministry positions will be announced in the next few weeks and the new government could be in place by the end of March, almost six months after the federal election on September 24 saw both parties lose a record number of votes and left few coalition options for Merkel.
Chancellor Merkel will now enter her fourth term in office, a position she has held since 2005.
More than 460,000 SPD members were eligible to vote on the coalition deal reached by the two parties last month.
A cheer went around the room of SPD headquarters in Berlin, moments before the official announcement from Nietan.
