BERLIN, October 5 (RIA Novosti) - The CDU/CSU group led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to conclude talks on a coalition government by late October, German media reported Monday.
Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, won the September 27 parliamentary election with 33.8% of the vote, while the center-left Social Democrats gained 23%.
The pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) received 14.6% and will enter into a coalition with the CDU/CSU, spelling the end for the "grand coalition" of Merkel's party and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) that governed Germany for the past four years.
Talks on the establishment of the new government started on Monday evening and the aim is to reach agreement in time for FDP leader Guido Westerwelle to accompany Merkel to the EU summit in Brussels on October 29-30 as foreign minister.
The putative coalition can count on 332 seats against 290 seats of the opposition in the new parliament.
Merkel said the new government would strive to ensure "economic growth, jobs and wellbeing." She has also put forward plans to cut taxes and state influence in the economy.
The CDU/CSU faction had 222 seats (36.3%) and Social Democrats had 221 seats (36.2%) in the previous parliament, making a "grand" ruling coalition in the Bundestag.
The German parliament has at least 598 seats but in some circumstances, "overhang" seats are also distributed. There were 13 such seats in the previous parliament.
