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epa03962096 Sigmar Gabriel, Chairman of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), gestures during a regional conference in a community center in Bruchsal, Germany, 23 November 2013. Gabriel discussed a possible grand coalition with other party members. Although detailed coalition accords to script government policy for four years in advance are the German custom, the delay has unsettled Germany's allies and is beginning to be seen as tiresome by voters. EPA/ULI DECK