After meeting suitors, Germany's coalition kingmakers retreat to mull next step

Markus Soeder, leader of Bavaria's Christian Social Union party (CSU), arrives to attend exploratory talks between the CDU, the CSU and the Greens for a possible new government coalition in Berlin, Germany, October 5, 2021. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi


BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's would-be "kingmakers", the Greens and Free Democrats, will take the next two days to decide how they will proceed with talks to form a new coalition government, Greens co-leader Robert Habeck said on Tuesday.

A close result in a Sept. 26 election, when no party won an overall majority, has kicked off a round of coalition talks that could last months, with the conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) courting the two smaller parties to try to secure power.