Scholz seals initial coalition deal to be next German chancellor

Olaf Scholz reached a milestone in his bid to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor by getting his potential partners close enough to enter formal negotiations for a coalition government.
 

After less than four hours of talks on Friday, his Social Democratic party, the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats agreed on the basic principles for a ruling alliance. The accord came remarkably quickly by German standards, with joint talks starting just a week ago. 

The agreement includes a plan to exit coal in 2030, eight years earlier than planned, as well as an action plan for climate protection. The SPD