After the members of the social-democratic party, SPD, agreed, on December 14, to the coalition contract negotiated since the end of September by the Christian Unions (CDU/CSU) and the SPD, Angela Merkel will start, tomorrow Tuesday, her third term as Chancellor within a ‘grand coalition’ government. The name of her major Ministers were revealed on Sunday. And the biggest surprise is that Ursula von der Leyen (CDU), previous Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, is now Defense Minister – the first woman in this position in Germany. She is replaced by Andrea Nahles, 43, a social-democrat, whose first task will be to introduce universal statutory minimum wage. (Ref. 130802)
Suspense finally ended on Saturday, December 14. more than 75 percent of SPD members voted, at their internal referendum, for the coalition contract negotiated for 3 months by the Christian-democratic party (CDU), its Bavarian ally (CSU) and the social-democratic party (see article No. 130746). It also puts an end to one of the longer periods to form a German government. In spite of its rather low score at the legislative election of September 22, the SPD definitely won the negotiations with
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