Germany's Free Democrats back coalition agreement

Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader Christian Lindner attends an extraordinary party convention to vote on the coalition agreement, in Berlin, Germany December 5, 2021. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

BERLIN (Reuters) - Members of Germany's pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) voted on Sunday by a large majority to back a coalition agreement with the Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens, paving the way for the three-way alliance to form a new government next week.

The coalition, the first at federal level between the environmentalist Greens, the FDP and Olaf Scholz's centre-left SPD, will end 16 years of conservative governments led by Chancellor Angela Merkel.