Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) reached an agreement "in principle" to form the new government, the former party's leader Friedrich Merz said at a press conference.
"A mutual understanding has been reached on a number of issues. We have a joint document that will form the basis for coalition talks, which we will probably begin next week," stated Merz after the conclusion of preliminary negotiations on forming a new cabinet. "I will recommend to my party and the CDU/CSU faction in the Bundestag to begin coalition negotiations with the Social Democrats on this basis," he concluded.
CDU promised to tackle Germany's economic problems and adopt a more restrictive immigration policy. The new government is said to plan significant economic stimuli, most notably large-scale investments in the defense sector.
