German chancellor Angela Merkel's party has voted in favour of a deal to form a new coalition government with the centre-left Social Democrats.
Delegates at a Christian Democratic Union convention in Berlin voted overwhelmingly in favour of the agreement despite criticism from some conservatives in the party.
Disquiet among members has been growing following a weak election result last September that forced Mrs Merkel into complicated coalition negotiations with smaller parties.
The agreement still requires approval from the Social Democrats. The result of a postal ballot of that party's membership will be announced March 4.