German parties aim to have new chancellor in early December

By GEIR MOULSON
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — The three parties that hope to form Germany’s new government say they aim to have the country’s next chancellor in place in early December, but acknowledge that they face a complex task. The center-left Social Democrats, environmentalist Greens and pro-business Free Democrats opened formal coalition talks following a preliminary deal last week that set out their priorities but left many open questions. If the negotiations succeed, the new government will send outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right Union bloc into opposition after 16 years at the helm. Her successor will be Olaf Scholz, who propelled the Social Democrats to a narrow election victory on Sept. 26.