German parties aim to have new chancellor in early December
ABC News
The three parties that hope to form Germany’s new government say they aim to have the country’s next chancellor in place in early December, but acknowledge that they face a complex task
BERLIN -- The three parties that hope to form Germany's new government said Thursday they aim to have the country's next chancellor in place in early December, but acknowledged that they face a complex task.
The center-left Social Democrats, environmentalist Greens and pro-business Free Democrats opened formal coalition talks following a preliminary deal last week, which set out their priorities but left many open questions.
If the negotiations succeed, the new government will send outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Union bloc into opposition after 16 years at the helm. Her successor will be Olaf Scholz, who propelled the Social Democrats to a narrow election victory on Sept. 26. He is the vice chancellor and finance minister in the current government.
Twenty-two working groups will be tasked with working through the various policy issues by Nov. 10, after which top party officials would resolve remaining sticking points.
