Acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz attend a news conference after exploratory talks about forming a new coalition government at the SPD headquarters in Berlin, Germany, January 12, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke
January 12, 2018
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to conclude negotiations with the Social Democrats (SPD) on forming a coalition government by mid-February, a source in her conservative party said on Friday.
The goal is to give the SPD ample time to hold a postal vote among its members on the coalition agreement with Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Christian Social Union (CSU) Bavaria-based allies.
Merkel’s conservatives had said they want to have a government in place by the end of March.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Joseph Nasr, editing by Thomas Escritt)
