German parties reach deal for government to end Merkel era

By GEIR MOULSON and FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s would-be governing parties are vowing to modernize Europe’s biggest economy and step up efforts against climate change. They announced an agreement Wednesday that leaves center-left leader Olaf Scholz poised to replace longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel within weeks. The coalition will shift Germany’s leadership a bit to the left after 16 years under the center-right Merkel. She gained plaudits for her handling of a series of crises over the years. Scholz signaled that the country’s foreign policy would not change much. Scholz’s Social Democrats, the environmentalist Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats are set to take the reins just as Germany faces its biggest surge of coronavirus infections in the pandemic so far.