Members of Germany's Christian Social Union (CSU) voted today to approve a coalition agreement struck last week with their Christian Democrat (CDU) allies and the rival centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).
The CDU, led by Angela Merkel, and the SPD had earlier backed the deal at separate party congresses.
The endorsements remove the last major obstacle to Ms Merkel becoming the new chancellor at the head of Germany's first "grand coalition" since the 1960s.
She must still be elected to the post in the Bundestag lower house of parliament on November 22th.
However, given the coalition partners' overwhelming majority there, that vote is expected to be a formality.
