欧美文化:FDP, Greens, SPD to enter official coalition talks for next German gov't

BERLIN, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The liberal FDP party has followed in the footsteps of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Greens by agreeing to enter into official coalition negotiations to form a new government, German media reported on Monday.

On Friday, the SPD was the first of the three parties to speak out in favor of negotiations. The Greens followed suit on Sunday, agreeing to negotiate the formation of a so-called traffic light coalition.

"One goal is pursued by all, that we will be finished before Christmas and have formed a new government," confirmed SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz, Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Finance, in an interview with public broadcaster ARD last week.

Meanwhile, the Greens said via Twitter after their decision to hold official negotiations on Sunday: "We have the chance to take responsibility and play a decisive role in this progressive government."

The parties have already tried to find common ground during first exploratory talks; while the SPD and Greens have the greatest political overlap on social questions, the FDP is dedicated to the topics of digitization and finance. However, they all agree that Germany's efforts to fight climate change must be intensified, and an agreement is expected on the legalization of cannabis.

In an interview with Bild TV on Sunday, FDP leader Christian Lindner spoke out in favor of allowing cannabis products such as hashish to be sold in a controlled manner. Consumers should "be allowed to purchase a quantity for their own use, for example, in a pharmacy after health education," he said.