Germany: Social democrats vote in favour of coalition

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be forming her fourth government after five months of political deadlock

4 March 2018, 10:05am

1 min read

The Social Democrat party (SPD) members have finally voted in favour of a coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives.

This way, Merkel will form her fourth government with another grand coalition after having been in power for 12 years.

The much awaited vote ended five months of political deadlock since the election of September of last year.

66% voted in favour of joining the coalition while 33% – understood to be the largely the party's radical youth wing – voted against.

Despite the new coalition, the right-wing nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) remain a strong opposition.

SPD scored their worst ever result in the previous election as they have become increasingly less relevant among young voters, while AfD continue to secure working class votes.