Germany's conservative bloc is set to begin coalition talks with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday, as it seeks to form the next government. After securing a clear victory in February's parliamentary election,

By Andreas Rinke, Vera Eckert and Matthias Williams BERLIN (Reuters) -German election winner Friedrich Merz's conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD) concluded preliminary talks on forming a coalition government on Saturday,

Germany’s conservative bloc and the Social Democrats agreed to deepen talks over forming a new government, a step forward as pressure builds on Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz to implement sweeping reforms.

Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor-in-waiting and leader of the Christian Democratic Union party CDU, looks on, on the day they give a statement after coalition talks, in Berlin, Germany, March 4, 2025.

Election winner Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU, its Bavarian sister party CSU, and the Social Democrats (SPD) have taken a major step toward forming a coalition government, the heads of the parties said.