Europe | Advantage Scholz

The Social Democrats are likely to take charge in Germany

But forging a coalition will be slow and difficult after a tight election

Oct 2nd 2021|BERLIN

AT 6PM ON September 26th the atrium of the Willy Brandt House, the Berlin headquarters of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), erupted in cheers when an exit poll suggested it had won the country’s federal election. If victory was narrow, it was also sweet. Having long been in the polling doldrums, the SPD rode a late surge to 25.7% of the vote, 1.6 points ahead of its conservative rivals, the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU). Olaf Scholz, the SPD’s candidate to replace Angela Merkel as chancellor, said voters had told the CDU/CSU that it “should no longer be in government, but in opposition”.

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Advantage Scholz”