Pro-business party approves coalition talks in Germany

Christian Lindner, parliamentary party leader and party chairman of the FDP, makes a statement (Paul Zinken/AP)

Germany’s pro-business Free Democrats became the last of three parties to back the start of formal coalition talks on forming a new government.

The Free Democrats leader, Christian Lindner, said the party’s national executive unanimously agreed to take the step following weeks of informal talks with the centre-left Social Democrats and the environmentalist Greens.