Germany's conservatives, who won elections last weekend, are set to start exploratory talks with the Social Democrats on Friday towards forming a coalition government, party sources said. - Grand coalition - The make-up of the incoming Bundestag leaves a coalition between the conservatives and the Social Democrats as the only politically feasible option to form a government.

Germany's conservative leader Friedrich Merz, who came out on top in the snap election results, is aiming to close a coalition agreement with outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD, which came third in the elections.