Martin Schulz has said that he wants normal party members, instead of SPD leadership, to decide if the Social Democrats should be in government for another four years.

Leading figures from Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) held overnight talks but it is still unclear whether they will back down from their opposition to a renewed coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU)

SPD General Secretary Hubertus Heil said the party would not 'rule itself out' of talks out of respect for the German president, without explaining what the aim of talks would be

Germany's Social Democrats on Friday underlined their willingness to hold talks to solve Germany's ongoing problems forming a new government.

"The SPD will not rule itself out of talks," said General Secretary Hubertus Heil after eight-hour overnight talks at party headquarters. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas of the SPD added the party "could not behave like a stubborn child."

Later, party leader Martin Schulz said that he wanted normal party members to decide if they wanted the party to be in government again, eschewing control by the party elite.

A growing number of voices in the party are thought to be calling for a third "grand coaltion" with the CDU/CSU since 2005 if all else fails.

Why is the SPD under pressure now? After a poor election result in September, Schulz called on his party to take up the role of chief opposition. But with the failure of talks between the Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) at the weekend, the political focus has narrowed on the SPD to take some part in government — perhaps by not voting against a conservative-led minority government or by forming another grand coalition.

What happened during the day? Schulz met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday afternoon. Steinmeier is a former SPD lawmaker and foreign minister. His current duties include the facilitation of a coalition government and he is keen to avoid a fresh election. SPD member and German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel also attended the talks with Steinmeier.

Schulz then headed to SPD headquarters to discuss the options with party heavyweights, including several state premiers. The meeting continued late into the night, with take-away pizza being ordered to help keep the discussions going. Heil said talks were constructive and that the SPD leadership was "close to consensus."

Germany's colorful coalition shorthand Colorful shorthand for German coalitions Coalitions are common under Germany's proportional representation system. To describe complex ballot outcomes, political pundits use colorful symbolism, often alluding to the flags of other nations. Coalition short-hand includes 'Jamaica,' 'Kenya,' and 'traffic light' coalitions.

Germany's colorful coalition shorthand 'Jamaica' option - black, yellow and green The three-way deal between the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats, whose color is yellow will not be happening at national level after the FDP called off talks. The northern state of Schleswig-Holstein currently has a "Jamaica" government, as CDU premier Daniel Günther governs with the FDP and the Greens.

Germany's colorful coalition shorthand Black-red coalition Conservative black combined with transformative red is the color code when the Christian Democrats govern in a grand coalition with the Social Democrats. Yellow on these billboards alludes to Germany's tricolor flag of black, red and gold. Black tops the flag, signifying Germany's responsibility for the Holocaust.

Germany's colorful coalition shorthand 'Pizza Connection' in Bonn, before parliament moved to Berlin When Bonn was still Germany's capital, individual conservatives and Greens met from 1995 in its suburban Italian Sassella restaurant. Since then, the 'Pizza Connection' has become code for speculation over further links. At regional level, in Hesse's Wiesbaden assembly, Merkel's CDU and Greens have governed together since 2014. Baden-Württemburg's Greens-CDU coalition has governed since 2016.

Germany's colorful coalition shorthand Another untried combination: Black, red, green, symbolized by Kenya's flag So far, a 'Kenyan' coalition has only emerged once at regional state level - last year in Saxony-Anhalt, when the SPD's vote collapsed, and the AfD took a quarter of the votes. Premier Reiner Haseloff of Merkel's conservatives forged a coalition comprising his conservative CDU, the battered SPD and the region's Greens.

Germany's colorful coalition shorthand 'Traffic light' coalition The market-oriented liberal FDP, whose color is yellow, has in the past generally ruled out federal coalitions sandwiched between the Social Democrats, whose color is red, and the Greens. A current example is Rhineland Palatinate's three-way regional state coalition based in Mainz and headed by Social Democrat Malu Dreyer.

Germany's colorful coalition shorthand Center-left combinations in three eastern states Red-red-green coalitions exist in two German regions: since last September in Berlin city state and since 2014 in Thuringia. It's Erfurt-based government is headed by Left party premier Bodo Ramelow, seen signing (third from left). Berlin's three-way mix is headed by Social Democrat Michael Müller. Brandenburg has a two-way coalition, comprising the Social Democrats and the Left party. Author: Ian P. Johnson



What happens next? The SPD is now mulling whether or not to change their stated course of opposition. The options are:

Entering a grand coalition that would have a significantly reduced majority from the previous administration that governed from 2013-2017

Supporting a Merkel-led minority government

Accepting fresh elections

That decision could be taken by the leadership, by the party conference at the beginning of December, or be put to a vote among grass-roots members.

Watch video 03:20 SPD-politician Johannes Kahrs: SPD should consider all options

jm/rt (Reuters, dpa)