German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a brief statement when arriving for what is supposed the last day of the coalition talks between her Christian Democratic bloc and the Social Democratic party at the CDU headquarters in Berlin, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a brief statement when arriving for what is supposed the last day of the coalition talks between her Christian Democratic bloc and the Social Democratic party at the CDU headquarters in Berlin, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018. dpa via AP Gregor Fischer
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a brief statement when arriving for what is supposed the last day of the coalition talks between her Christian Democratic bloc and the Social Democratic party at the CDU headquarters in Berlin, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018. dpa via AP Gregor Fischer

National Business

The Latest: Report: German parties reach coalition deal

The Associated Press

February 07, 2018 01:30 AM

BERLIN

The Latest on negotiations to form a new German government (all times local):

10:30 a.m.

News agency dpa is reporting that Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and Germany's main center-left party have reached a deal on a new coalition government.

Citing unidentified party officials, dpa said that Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, its Bavaria-only sister party the Christian Social Union and the Social Democrats overcame the last hurdles to a coalition deal on Wednesday.

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The agreement follows a final, 24-hour-long session of talks.

The deal will now be submitted to a ballot of the Social Democrats' membership, a process that will take a few weeks.

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10 a.m.

German news agency dpa is reporting that the prospective partners in a new German government have taken an important step toward reaching a coalition agreement.

Wednesday's report, which cited unnamed participants, said that Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, its Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union, and the center-left Social Democrats, achieved a breakthrough on the division of ministries.

It said that, following an all-night session, the three parties still have to work through a relatively short list of disagreements before reaching a final agreement.

Any agreement will be submitted to a ballot of the Social Democrats' members, a process that will take a few weeks.

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7:20 a.m.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and Germany's main center-left party are still haggling over a deal to form a new coalition government after negotiations that lasted through the night.

There was no sign of an imminent end to talks between Merkel's Union bloc and the Social Democrats early Wednesday, some 21 hours into what party leaders have said should be the final round of negotiations.

If a deal emerges, it won't bring an immediate end to the political limbo following Germany's Sept. 24 election.

Any agreement will be put to a ballot of the Social Democrats' more than 460,000 members. Many of them are skeptical after the party's disastrous election result, which followed four years of a "grand coalition" with the party serving as junior partner to Merkel's conservatives.

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