German election winner Friedrich Merz's party on Monday approved an agreement to form a coalition government with a center-left rival, bringing him closer to the helm of a leading European power as it grapples with a stagnant economy, the Trump administration's trade policy and the war in Ukraine.
Delegates at a convention of Merz's center-right Christian Democratic Union party approved the agreement that was reached earlier this month. German news agency dpa reported that the exact vote count was not released Monday.
