"The members have the final say," said party chairman Lars Klingbeil. "The members will make the final decision." Klingbeil is expected to take on leadership of the SPD's much reduced parliamentary group on Wednesday before representing the party in coalition talks with the CDU.

The centre-right party's leader Friedrich Merz said CDU and SPD are to enter talks to form a coalition, one day after the German election on Sunday. View on euronews

A senior member of Germany's conservative bloc has called on the Social Democrats to put party interests behind those of the country, as both parties are widely expected to begin talks on forming the next government.