Three German Parties Sign Coalition Agreement

Two and a half months after the elections, three German parties have signed a coalition agreement. The new government will consist of the centre-left SPD, the Greens and the liberal FDP.

SPD leader Olaf Scholz becomes the chancellor.

After the colours of the parties, the members of the so-called ‘traffic light coalition’ approved the agreement in the previous days. The new cabinet will be installed now that the leaders have signed the agreements.

The Bundestag will vote on Scholz’s appointment on Wednesday, and his cabinet will be sworn in on the same day.

Angela Merkel’s leadership comes to an end after 16 years. In September’s parliamentary elections, its Christian Democrats suffered a historic loss, led by chancellor candidate Armin Laschet. The conservative CDU/CSU bloc became the country’s second-largest party, after Scholz’s Social Democrats.