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Germany's SPD narrowly wins election with 25.7 percent
The preliminary results are based on ballots counted in all constituencies. The result is the worst yet for Merkel's CDU-CSU bloc.
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German Finance Minister, Vice-Chancellor and the Social Democrats (SPD) candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz waves at the Social Democrats (SPD) headquarters after the estimates were broadcast on TV, in Berlin on September 26, 2021 after the German general elections. (AFP/Odd Andersen)
G
ermany's centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) won the general election with 25.7 percent, beating Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, who came in at 24.1 percent, official figures on the website of the country's election commission showed Monday.
The preliminary results are based on ballots counted in all constituencies. The result is the worst yet for Merkel's CDU-CSU bloc.
The Green party placed third at 14.8 percent, followed by the liberal FDP at 11.5 percent. The far-right Alternative for Germany garnered 10.3 percent.
The SPD's chancellor candidate, Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Armin Laschet from Merkel's conservatives have each claimed a mandate to govern, setting off a scramble for potential coalition partners.
For a country used to political stability after 16 years of Merkel's steady leadership, the coming weeks and months promise to be a rocky ride.
Western allies are watching closely, aware that domestic preoccupations could blunt Germany's role on the international stage and create a leadership vacuum in Europe.
Laschet, 60, and Scholz, 63, both said their goal was to have a new government in place before Christmas.
