Deal to make Scholz German chancellor clears final hurdle

By GEIR MOULSON and FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — A three-party deal to form a new German government under center-left leader Olaf Scholz has cleared its final hurdle. That sets the scene for Scholz to succeed longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel later this week. Germany’s environmentalist Greens said Monday that their members approved the agreement reached last month, with 86% voting for it in a ballot. The other two parties — Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats and the pro-business Free Democrats — overwhelmingly approved the agreement at weekend conventions. Scholz to be elected as chancellor in parliament on Wednesday, ending the center-right Merkel’s 16-year tenure. Green co-leader Annalena Baerbock is set to become Germany’s first female foreign minister.