Members of the German Social Democratic Party voted in favor of renewing the coalition with Merkel's conservative coalition, paving the way for her fourth term in office following six months of political uncertainty. The vote was 66% in favor of the alliance and 34% against it.
The new government could be formed by the end of this month after the two parties lost a large number of votes in the September 24 elections. Angela Merkel has been leading Germany since 2005, and if her fourth term completed, she would equal former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl as the longest serving chancellor for 16 years.
