Elections in Germany: the Social Democrats in the lead, uncertainties about the succession of Angela Merkel – teller report

The Germans were called to vote this Sunday, September 26 to elect the deputies who will form the Bundestag, who themselves will be called upon to form a new government. And the results of these elections are proving to be tight.

The Social Democrats (SPD), led by Olaf Scholz, take first place with 25.7% of the vote, according to the latest estimates, closely followed by the Christian Democrats (CDU-CSU) of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and led by Armin Laschet with 24.1% of the vote, a record low. The Conservatives had never fallen below the 30% threshold. This is a stinging setback for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s camp as she is due to retire from politics.

“It is clear that the SPD won”, welcomed the secretary general of the party, Lars Klingbeil, calling for the formation of the future government. “We have the mandate to form a government. Olaf Scholz will become chancellor”. Olaf Scholz himself spoke of a “big success” and presented himself as the “next chancellor”. “What is certain is that many citizens” voted SPD because “they want a change of government, and also because they want the next chancellor to be called Olaf Scholz”, launched the candidate.

But Armin Laschet, a candidate for the Conservative Party, has also said he wants to form a government despite his party’s historic decline. “We will do our utmost to form a government under the leadership of the Union (CDU-CSU)” did he declare. A little earlier the secretary general of the CDU Paul Ziemak spoke of “bitter losses” in the face of first estimates. And for good reason, the party had never yet collected less than 30% of the votes, in 2017 it had obtained 32.8% of the votes. An additional symbol of this collapse: the constituency of Angela Merkel, in which she had been elected deputy since 1990, fell into the hands of the SPD.

Mr. Laschet is the big loser of the evening at this stage, he will have to be very persuasive to avoid relegating his camp to the opposition benches for the first time since 2005.

The Greens and their candidate Annalena Baerbock, a favorite time of the poll, miss the boat with 14.8%, according to the latest estimates. Little reason for satisfaction: they beat their record of 2009, when they had obtained 10.7% of the vote, and could win the mayoralty of Berlin.

The Liberals of the FDP (right), fourth with around 11.5%, appear to be the “kingmakers” essential for building a future coalition.

The far right of the AfD, whose entry into the Bundestag was the highlight of the 2017 election, confirms its roots in the German political landscape. But with between 10 and 11%, this party undermined by internal conflicts, is down slightly compared to four years ago (12.6%).

Olaf Scholz, the vice-chancellor and finance minister of the outgoing government, has chances of becoming the future chancellor of Germany and succeeding Angela Merkel, who will step down after 16 years in power. 55% of Germans say they are in favor of this option, according to a poll by the ZDF channel.

Olaf Scholz has yet to succeed in building a three-party coalition, which turns out to be a first in the country’s contemporary history. The option of a purely left-wing coalition, on the other hand, now seems to be ruled out, the radical left Die Linke having recorded too low a score, the SPD candidate for the chancellery has already shown himself open to discussions with the liberals of the FDP. Negotiations could last several months before the Germans could find out the name of their new chancellor.

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