Germany's conservatives and Social Democrats agree coalition government deal
Gruelling overnight talks between the leaders of the conservative CDU and the centre-left SPD in Germany appear to have succeeded, with the two parties announcing on Wednesday morning that they will attempt to form a "grand coalition" government.
The SPD has been allocated the foreign, finance and labour ministries, while the CDU will retain the defence and economy portfolios, according to media .
The same claim the interior ministry will be taken by Angela Merkel's Bavarian ally, Horst Seehofer. Seehofer has been taking a tough line on immigration up till now.
Major differences during the talks appear to have been on labour reforms and healthcare.
The deal could still be derailed by the SPD's rank and file membership in a vote, the result of which will be known in three to four weeks. SPD membership has surged by tens of thousands in the last few days as campaigners are calling on people to join the party just to vote down the grand coalition plan.