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The German chancellor finally reached an agreement with Martin Schulz’s SPD group this month as she attempts to claw back power after failing to form a government in Germany’s general election. But with party delegates expected to vote on the agreement on Sunday at a conference in Bonn, members in the SPD heartland have raised concerns a grand coalition will force them to lose their voice. Critics from SPD claim a coalition with Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the CSU, will see them give in and receive little in return after four painful years in the previous grand partnership. Rainer Brinkmann, head of the local SPD office told politics news site, Politico.co.uk: “In effect, we’ve already had four years of coalition negotiations - that is, four years in a grand coalition.

GETTY Angela Merkel is desperately attempting to claw back power

“I’d hoped we would get a bit more from the CDU/CSU.. personally, I don’t consider this result sufficient.” Discussing the coalition blueprint during a meeting in Dortmund for local SPD members, Ulrich Piechota, the group’s leader, said: “There are some points where I say great, very nice. “There are many others where I say ‘this can’t be the SPD’. “If we go into another grand coalition, what happens in four years.

GETTY Martin Schulz's SPD could form a coalition with Merkel

“Will we stand here then with 15, 16, 17, 18 percent? With the same situation, we’ll keep disappearing.” Simone Weiß, another member, added: “We always talk about how we’ve lost our profile. “We have great ideas, but we can’t implement them with a grand coalition.” Meanwhile, other SPD members are considering rejecting the coalition deal in favour of a minority government.

Angela Merkel in pictures Tue, August 8, 2017 Angela Merkel has served as German Chancellor since 2005 and Leader of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000. We take a look at her political career in pictures. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 83 Angela Merkel through the years