Germany: Social Democrats approve coalition deal

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) voted in favor of forming a coalition government with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, according to results announced on Sunday.

The SPD said 66 percent of its members who took part in the binding postal ballot approved the coalition deal with Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc.

The vote cleared the way for a "grand coalition" government between the SPD, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party Christian Social Union (CSU).

The leaders of the SPD and Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc had reached a preliminary agreement on Feb. 7 to form a “grand coalition” government, after a 136-day post-election stalemate.

The party organs of the CDU and CSU had approved the coalition deal last month.