Germany’s conservative and Social Democratic leaders were meeting to discuss the possibility of forming a new “grand coalition” government.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of Germany’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), met Social Democrats (SPD) leader Martin Schulz on Wednesday evening for the first unmediated discussions about whether to extend the country’s current “grand coalition” government.
After their worst electoral performance in post-war German history, the SPD is wary about signing on for another stint as the junior partners to the CDU, along with their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). Indeed, Schulz twice categorically dismissed another grand coalition before being forced to change his position.