German SPD backs coalition talks, leader vows tough approach

Martin Schulz, leader of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), inspects the convention hall prior to the SPD's one-day party congress in Bonn, Germany, January 20, 2018. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

BONN (Reuters) - Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) voted on Sunday to begin formal coalition talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, moving Europe's economic powerhouse closer to a stable government after months of political deadlock.

SPD delegates voted 362 to 279, with one abstention, to press ahead with negotiations. The centre-left party's leaders had agreed a preliminary coalition blueprint with Merkel's conservative bloc earlier this month.