Government Negotiations Begin in Germany

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian counterpart, the Christian Social Union (CSU), secured victory in the February elections and have since reached an agreement with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) on key issues for their governing platform during recent exploratory talks. Now, 16 working groups comprising representatives from all three parties will engage in negotiations to finalize the details of the program. The SPD has indicated that its members will have the opportunity to vote on the completed platform. CDU leader Friedrich Merz, who is expected to assume the role of Chancellor, aims to have a government in place before the Easter holiday.