Germany's SPD members agree to Merkel coalition deal
Berlin, Safar 11, 1435, Dec 14, 2013, SPA -- Members of Germany's Social Democratic Party on Saturday agreed to a coalition government with conservative
Chancellor Angela Merkel, dpa reported.
The result paves the way for Merkel's re-election Tuesday to the
chancellorship, a post she has held since 2005.
The SPD, Germany's main centre-left party, announced the result after
counting votes on Saturday from a postal ballot of its wider
membership on whether to agree to the coalition deal hammered out by
party leaders.
The party said some 76 per cent of those who voted approved the deal,
with 24 per cent against.
The vote in favour was a groundbreaking move, SPD leader Sigmar
Gabriel said shortly after the result became known.
This day would not just go down in the history of social democracy in
Germany, but also in the history of Germany itself, Gabriel said.
He called it a "celebration of inner-party democracy" as supporters
cheered. The SPD has about 475,000 active members.
The SPD leadership had earlier voiced confidence it would win over
the rank-and-file majority to ally with Merkel, despite fears among
party radicals that there have been too many compromises with
Merkel's conservatives.
If the SPD vote had failed, Merkel's efforts at government formation
would have gone back to square one. Her only other practical options
would have been to invite the reluctant Green Party into a coalition,
or to call a fresh election to break the deadlock.
-- SPA
20:28 LOCAL TIME 17:28 GMT
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