By Andreas Rinke
BERLIN, Dec 2 (Reuters) – Conservative legislators in Germany voted by a large majority in favour of a contested pension reform package in what had been billed as a trial ballot ahead of a full parliamentary vote on the move, a person present at the caucus meeting said.
The result reduces the risk of further strife within conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition with the Social Democrats, who together have a slender governing majority of only 12 votes in Germany’s parliament.
The conservatives’ youth wing and the group of younger conservative legislators have misgivings over the reform, which will keep the state pension at its current level of 48% of the average wage until 2031.
Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt both spoke vehemently in favour of the measure, the person present at the caucus meeting said. The source said there had been some votes against and at least one abstention.
The youth wing feared the measure, wanted by the Social Democrats in particular, would ease pressure for a more comprehensive pension reform they seek.
The comfortable majority in the private, trial vote of the conservative caucus meeting reduces the chances that the measure will fail to pass Friday’s full parliamentary vote.
The coalition has repeatedly failed to carry key parliamentary votes, most dramatically at the start of the year, when anonymous dissenters deprived Merz of the majority he needed to be appointed chancellor. He was confirmed in a repeat vote later that day.
(Writing by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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