German SPD celebrates narrow win at general election
SPD's chancellor candidate, Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz, celebrates with party members in the SPD's headquarters in Berlin after narrowly winning the German general election.
Germany’s Centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) have secured a narrow win over outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives in national elections with party leader Olaf Scholz claiming a “clear mandate” to form the government for the first time since 2005.
Preliminary official results showed that the Centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) won the vote at 25.7 percent, while Merkel's Centre-right CDU-CSU bloc sunk to a historic low of 24.1 percent.
The Green party placed third at 14.8 percent, its best result yet but still short of expectations.
With the narrow win, Germany is bracing for a period of political unpredictability as the Social Democrats face a rival claim to power from outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative camp.
The SPD's chancellor candidate, Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has said that he has a clear mandate to govern, while his conservative rival Armin Laschet also claimed the right to try to build the next government, kick-starting a scramble for possible 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.
Citizens "want a change in government," said Scholz, who ran an error-free campaign that cast him as a safe pair of hands, contrasting sharply with Laschet's series of gaffes.
