Merkel readies for intense German coalition talks
Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) on Monday demanded concessions on immigration and healthcare from Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in looming coalition talks that the center-left party voted for at the weekend.
At an SPD congress where divisions over the proposed alliance were laid bare, 56 percent of delegates voted on Sunday to start formal negotiations on the basis of a blueprint agreed earlier this month.
That was a narrower margin than many analysts had predicted and put pressure on SPD leaders to refine the initial agreement to appease reluctant members.
Merkel, SPD leader Martin Schulz and the leader of Merkel's CSU Bavarian allies, Horst Seehofer, will meet on Monday and the full talks may start as early as Tuesday.
