Formal coalition talks between the Social Democratic Party, Greens and pro-business Free Democrats aimed at forming the next German government could start imminently after the parties gave the green light on Wednesday.
The announcement, made on Wednesday morning, boosts the SPD’s chances of leading the next coalition government, with the party’s candidate for chancellor, Olaf Scholz, one step closer to succeeding outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and leading Europe’s largest economy into a new era.
The Greens’ co-leader Robert Habeck told reporters earlier Wednesday that his party “is proposing to the
FDP to approach the SPD together and then move from the phase of exploratory talks … to three-way talks,” Reuters reported.
“This is a proposal to the FDP for the time being. Let’s see how they respond to it,” Habeck said, although he added that there were still policy differences between the Greens, the FDP and SPD. “Many things have not yet been discussed.”
Shortly afterward, the FDP’s leader Christian Lindner said his party was taking up the Greens’ proposal for three-way talks with the SPD, Reuters reported, and had offered to start talks on Thursday.
