The newspaper said the participants – Merkel, her Bavarian ally Horst Seehofer and Schulz – had discussed various options for forming a government, including a grand coalition, setting up a minority government under Merkel, or holding new elections. Merkel is casting around for a coalition partner after her centre-right bloc shed support to the far right in the 24 September election. Schulz insisted his party would continue to talk about all options, which could include tolerating a Merkel minority government, possibly in tandem with the Green party. Whether the SPD is prepared to go all the way towards a coalition agreement with Merkel remains unclear. “We remain clear: the SPD’s rejection of a continued grand coalition was mandatory and right,” says the petition.

Source: The Guardian December 01, 2017 15:10 UTC