Article: Social Democrats quit East German coalition

EAST BERLIN The broad coalition chosen to lead East Germany as it merges with the West collapsed Sunday when the Social Democrats bolted in a disagreement over the pace of unification.

The departure of the Social Democrats will not derail the German merger, but it amounts to yet another psychological blow to a nation already reeling from a hemorrhaging economy.

All major East German parties are committed to unification, and elections for a single government are tentatively scheduled Dec. 2.

The Social Democrats were the second-largest party in the coalition led by Prime Minister Lothar de Maiziere's conservative Christian Democrats.

"By leaving the coalition, the (party) is running ...

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