The centre-left and centre-right candidates to replace Angela Merkel as German chancellor have both claimed the right to go ahead after inconclusive election results.
"We have a mandate to say we want to form the next government ... citizens want change," the centre-left SPD party's Olaf Scholz said on Sunday (26 September).
He promised a "good, pragmatic government for Germany".
The SPD narrowly won with 25.9 percent of the vote, according to projections on Monday morning...
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Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.
Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.