The leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) said he was optimistic that he could persuade his party's members to back the coalition deal he sealed with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives Wednesday morning.
Martin Schulz said he would step down as leader of the party after the member ballot, the results of which come on March 4. The passionate pro-European said he wanted to become foreign minister if members ratified the deal.
"I will fight for renewal of European Union," he said of his plan for the job.
He urged the party to elect parliamentary floor leader Andrea Nahles his successor as party leader at an upcoming party congress and said the two would together campaign for members to support the coalition deal.
Asked if Hamburg's Social Democrat (SPD) mayor Olaf Scholz would become Germany's finance minister, party leader Martin Schulz said Wednesday that all decisions regarding specific jobs would be made after a party member ballot on whether to back a coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives.
Reuters
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