Early Results Show The German Election Is Too Close To Call

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel receives applause during the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) election event on Sunday in Berlin. Voters have gone to the polls nationwide in elections that herald the end of Merkel’s 16-year chancellorship.

Clemens Bilan/Pool/Getty Images

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German SPD candidate for chancellor Olaf Scholz waves on stage at the Social Democratic Party (SPD) headquarters after the estimates were broadcast in Berlin on Sunday.

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This Is The Candidate To Beat In The Race To Become Germany’s Next Leader

The Social Democrats appeared to make big gains compared to the last German election in 2017, but they weren’t alone. The environmentalist Green Party also appeared to receive more votes than last time, but fell short of having its own shot at the chancellery. The CDU/CSU lost support, and is heading for the worst result since its formation in 1945.

Given the narrow margins, it’s possible tabulating the final election results in Sunday’s election will take longer than expected, as will the more difficult work of negotiating between the prevailing parties to form a new coalition government.

Sunday’s election was the first in Germany’s post-war history when an incumbent chancellor did not stand for reelection. Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to step down once the next government is formed, but after an election as close as this one, that could take many months.