After more than five weeks of negotiations, the Christian Democratic CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic SPD have found a solution in the German government negotiations. This is reported by TV channels NTV and RTL, citing sources with insight into the talks.
All that remains is details, it is said.
According to NTV, the parties will present the results of the talks at 12 o'clock on Wednesday.
Enormous pressure
If the information is correct, CDU leader - and presumed Chancellor - Friedrich Merz can thus fulfill his promise of having a government in place before Easter.
According to NTV, he can be formally appointed Chancellor on May 6.
The Germans seem to be able to thank Donald Trump and his trade tariffs for the negotiations getting a new boost, report German media.
In contrast to previous talks, these (last week's) coalition negotiations have been conducted under enormous pressure, says SPD's Manuela Schwesig, according to NTV, referring to the global economic uncertainty.
Must go fast
Public service company ARD described the talks on Tuesday as a 400-meter sprint where the parties are in the final curve. But the final stretch remains.
It's the last meters that are the toughest, says SPD's Anke Rehlinger to the news agency DPA.
It must go fast and it must be good, comments her counterpart, CDU's Jens Spahn.
The CDU/CSU became the largest party in the election with 28.6 percent of the votes and was thus forced to enter coalition negotiations. The CDU had already ruled out cooperation with the far-right party AFD, which became the second-largest party, and thus the SPD was the only realistic government partner.
Sitting Chancellor Olaf Scholz from SPD is not participating in the negotiations.
