SDP leader Olaf Scholz said he had a clear mandate to form a government, having emerged in first place - although with only 25.7 percent of the vote (Photo: Council of the European Union)

Election means three-party German government likely

Rule of Law

by Eszter Zalan, Brussels,

Germany seemed to have caught up with the rest of Europe: fragmented political landscape after the elections, month-long coalition negotiations in the making, and the two biggest parties losing their outright dominance on the political stage.

Sunday's race to succeed chancellor Angela Merkel failed to produce a clear winner, with Olaf Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats (SDP) barely beating Armin Laschet's centre-right Christian Democratic (CDU/CSU) alliance, but with both only getti...

To read this story, log in or subscribe

Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week.

Already a member? Login

Rule of Law

Author Bio

Eszter Zalan is a Hungarian journalist who worked for Brussels-based news portal EUobserver specialising in European politics, focusing on populism and Brexit.

Nord Stream 2 overshadows EU leaders' Ukraine trip

Europol: Extremists exploited pandemic to spread radicalism

EU negotiators defend high Covid vaccine prices paid to pharma