German Social Democrats find new leader in bid to end crisis

BERLIN – Germany’s Social Democrats tapped a state premier from the former communist east to be party chief and neared a deal on tax reform as the country’s top parties strove to keep fragile coalition talks on track.

After a hastily called SPD meeting late on Tuesday, the 51-year-old leader of the state of Brandenburg, Matthias Platzeck, said he would run for the post of chairman at a party congress later this month. The party executive met on Wednesday evening and unanimously nominated him.He will then have to be approved by the full party at a congress in mid-November.If confirmed, he would replace veteran Franz Muentefering, who shocked his centre-left party on Monday by announcing plans to step down, a move that threatened to disrupt efforts to form a government with the conservatives.”We want negotiations on building a government to move ahead swiftly,” Platzeck told reporters.Germans are also eager that a government finally fills the vacuum that has emerged since the Sept.18 election and begin tackling their number one concern – unemployment.The jobless total fell in October, figures showed, but is likely to head towards a postwar peak above 5 million over the winter.Platzeck, set to be the first SPD leader from the former East Germany, is seen as a unifying force capable of healing a rift between the party’s left wing and more centrist elements.He said the SPD board supported Muentefering’s leadership of the coalition talks for the party and his likely future position as deputy to chancellor designate Angela Merkel.With Platzeck’s candidacy ending one of the SPD’s headaches, the SPD and conservatives (CDU/CSU) also made progress on the sensitive issue of raising Germany’s value-added tax , one of the biggest sticking points in the coalition talks so far.- Nampa-ReutersThe party executive met on Wednesday evening and unanimously nominated him.He will then have to be approved by the full party at a congress in mid-November.If confirmed, he would replace veteran Franz Muentefering, who shocked his centre-left party on Monday by announcing plans to step down, a move that threatened to disrupt efforts to form a government with the conservatives.”We want negotiations on building a government to move ahead swiftly,” Platzeck told reporters.Germans are also eager that a government finally fills the vacuum that has emerged since the Sept.18 election and begin tackling their number one concern – unemployment.The jobless total fell in October, figures showed, but is likely to head towards a postwar peak above 5 million over the winter.Platzeck, set to be the first SPD leader from the former East Germany, is seen as a unifying force capable of healing a rift between the party’s left wing and more centrist elements.He said the SPD board supported Muentefering’s leadership of the coalition talks for the party and his likely future position as deputy to chancellor designate Angela Merkel.With Platzeck’s candidacy ending one of the SPD’s headaches, the SPD and conservatives (CDU/CSU) also made progress on the sensitive issue of raising Germany’s value-added tax , one of the biggest sticking points in the coalition talks so far.- Nampa-Reuters