The Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) have completed positive preliminary talks to form a coalition after Germany’s recent election, according to reports from the weekend.
The CDU and SPD (along with the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union) control 328 of the 630 seats in the Bundestag, enough for a majority.
Coalitions are common in Germany with parties normally holding exploratory talks before entering formal discussions.
Friedrich Merz, the leader of the CDU and probable next German chancellor, has a tough job in front of him, with the threat of Russian aggression and a moribund German economy.