Social Democrats vote for talks with Merkel’s party to end lengthy stalemate

GERMANY’S SOCIAL Democrats last night voted to open talks on forming a new government with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives.

Party leaders had urged members to overcome their apprehensions for the good of the country and stability of Europe.

Delegates of the centre-left party voted 362 to 279 in favour of opening coalition negotiations with Mrs Merkel’s Union bloc after an emotional day-long debate in Bonn.

The vote was a major step towards ending the political gridlock that has prevented a new government from being formed since a September general election.

Social Democratic leader Martin Schulz called it “a key moment in the history of our party”.

Many delegates expressed concerns that a 28-page paper on the prerequisites for coalition talks hashed out between leaders of the Social Democrats, Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and her Bavarian-only sister party Christian Social Union had watered down too many of their positions.

But after the vote, Mr Schulz pledged to negotiate hard for more concessions on labour, health and migration policies.

“We are now starting with the negotiations, and we will come back to all these points,” he said, adding that the agreed-upon prerequisites were “no coalition agreement”.

Before a new government can be established, another vote by the Social Democrats’ membership will have to be held on the final coalition agreement.

Mr Schulz said he expected the negotiations to start this week. Others hope a new government might be in place before Easter.

Had the Social Democrats voted against opening negotiations, Mrs Merkel would have faced forming a minority government or a new election would have had to be called.

Mr Schulz opposed another election and said that a stable German government was needed to strengthen Europe.