Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU in late night Berlin meeting to consider grand coalition

Top officials from German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) met in Berlin tonight to consider forming a grand coalition and avert the calling of fresh elections.

The Social Democrats (SPD), Germany’s second-largest political party, signalled earlier this week it was prepared to entertain forming a similar coalition to that which has governed for the last four years.

Such a move, a reversal of the SPD’s previous position, followed the breakdown of plans for a three-way coalition between the CDU, pro-business FDP and Greens.

CDU leaders convened at Adenauer-Haus from 6pm to consider an accord with SPD, according to local German media reports.

Earlier in the day, one of Merkel’s most important allies threw his weight behind plans for a grand coalition to unlock the political deadlock.

Horst Seehofer, the Bavarian prime minister and head of the CSU, said an alliance with the SPD was “the best option for Germany”.

The CSU is the Bavarian sister party of Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU).

Read more: Germany stuck in limbo after coalition talks collapse

Seehofer told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag that an alliance with the SPD was “better anyway than a coalition with the Free Democrats and Greens, new elections or a minority government”.

European leaders have stressed the importance of Germany getting its political house in order ahead of the European Council summit in December. Merkel has previously stressed an acting government is able to lead the country on the international stage until a new coalition is finalised.

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