Biggest parties make coalition deal in Germany

Germany’s biggest political parties today reached a deal to form a coalition government, a senior Social Democratic official said.

The deal seals an accord that will put conservative Angela Merkel in charge of attempting to revive the economy while taming its huge budget deficit.

“We want to make more of Germany and we, the two big parties, want with these policies to win back people’s trust in the ability of politicians ... and show that we can do something for our country,” Merkel told reporters.