“In the wake of a negotiation marathon lasting 17 hours,” the leaders of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) announced on November 27 that they had agreed a contract for a grand coalition, reports Die Tageszeitung.
The accord will pave the way for a minimum wage of €8.50 per hour, higher pensions and lighter regulation on dual citizenship. However, the SPD failed to obtain an increase in taxes, points out TAZ.
The newspaper, which was the only German daily to devote its front page to the “Grosse Koalition,” teases the parties about the difficult birth of a government that was two months in the making, which will have to be endorsed by SPD members between now and December 12 —
Angela Merkel and Sigmar Gabriel are delighted by the birth of their new baby: yet another grand coalition. Who will the little cutie look like? If he is to survive, this representative of an endangered species will need to be approved by the rank and file of the SPD.”
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