German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union, CDU, is flanked by Martin Schulz, chairman of the Social Democratic Party, SPD, and Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer, chairman of the Christian Social Union, CSU, during a press statement after Merkel's conservatives and Germany's main center-left party reached a deal to form a new coalition government after a final session of talks that dragged on for 24 hours in the headquarters of the Christian Democratic Union in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union, CDU, is flanked by Martin Schulz, chairman of the Social Democratic Party, SPD, and Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer, chairman of the Christian Social Union, CSU, during a press statement after Merkel's conservatives and Germany's main center-left party reached a deal to form a new coalition government after a final session of talks that dragged on for 24 hours in the headquarters of the Christian Democratic Union in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. Ferdinand Ostrop AP Photo
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union, CDU, is flanked by Martin Schulz, chairman of the Social Democratic Party, SPD, and Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer, chairman of the Christian Social Union, CSU, during a press statement after Merkel's conservatives and Germany's main center-left party reached a deal to form a new coalition government after a final session of talks that dragged on for 24 hours in the headquarters of the Christian Democratic Union in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. Ferdinand Ostrop AP Photo

National Business

Smallest partner approves deal on new German government

The Associated Press

February 08, 2018 03:58 AM

BERLIN

The smallest of the parties in Germany's prospective new government has signed off on this week's coalition deal, but bigger hurdles lie ahead.

The deal would see Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union and its Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union, continue their four-year partnership with the center-left Social Democrats.

Senior CSU members said the party's leadership approved the agreement unanimously on Thursday.

Merkel's CDU is holding a party congress Feb. 26 to endorse the deal. It looks unlikely to hit trouble there, despite discontent over the party losing the finance and interior ministries.

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The Social Democrats are balloting their entire 463,723-strong membership. The result, expected March 4, is unpredictable because many are suspicious of entering a new government after a disastrous election result.

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