German election live updates Slight edge for Social Democrats in race to succeed Merkel projection shows

Germany’s parliamentary elections are underway, and just one thing is certain: The era of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been in power for 16 years, is coming to an end. The race for her successor remains wide open. Two parties are battling it out on top: Merkel’s center-right Christian Democratic Union and the center-left Social Democratic Party. The Greens appear behind in the polls but remain a big factor in possible post-election efforts to craft a coalition government.

What you need to know

Exit polls and early results give slight edge to Social Democrats, but race still close. See full results here.

Green party holds third place.

No party is expected to get a parliament majority, setting up talks on a coalition government led by the top vote-getter.

Merkel will remain leader during coalition negotiations.

Rivals Scholz and Laschet both hope new government will be in place by ChristmasLink copied

The top rivals to succeed Merkel as chancellor said Sunday that a new government should be formed before Christmas â€" even though both have very different ideas of what it should look like.

“I think it would be absurd to give an exact date. But I, and we, should do everything to be ready before Christmas. A bit sooner would be good, too,” Olaf Scholz, the chancellor candidate of the Social Democratic Party, said on German television after projections showed his party in a close race with Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, now led by Armin Laschet.

Laschet, too, said a coalition should “definitely” be formed before Christmas.

Such scenarios would delay Merkel’s planned retirement, leaving her in charge until a new government can be hammered out.

The combinations for coalitions depend largely on the Greens and, potentially, the business-friendly Free Democrats. The Greens prefer to ally with Scholz’s party and the Free Democrats with Laschet’s.

Muted celebration at Greens’ party headquarters after exit polls By Florian Neuhof4:28 p.m.Link copied

BERLIN â€" Cheers echoed through the Columbiahalle, near Berlin’s historic Tempelhof airfield, as exit polls showing 15 percent of the vote for the Greens flashed on the screens at the party’s election night venue.

If the poll results are accurate, 15 percent would be a record for the 40-year-old party. But that’s a drop of about 10 points from where it was polling earlier this year.

“We have the best election results in our history,” said Annalena Baerbock, the Greens’ first candidate for chancellor. “But we can’t just be cheering tonight. We wanted more, and we failed to achieve that because of mistakes made at the beginning of the campaign. Mistakes made by me.”

Baerbock, 40, initially appeared to have a shot at the chancellor job. But blunders derailed her surge: a failure to declare expenses in time, embellishments on her résumé, and allegations of plagiarism in her book.

Still, when Baerbock strode onto the stage Sunday, the crowd appeared to be in a forgiving mood. Her speech was interrupted by loud cheers and waves of clapping. Despite being projected to fall short at the national level, the Greens may make some regional gains. In Berlin’s local elections, which also took place Sunday, the Greens were predicted to lead the field.

Despite close race, Social Democrats are already in a party moodLink copied

BERLIN â€" The Social Democrats and Christian Democrats remained neck and neck in the vote to succeed Merkel on Sunday. But at the Social Democrats’ headquarters in Berlin, party activists and staffers behaved as if they had already won the election.

“This will be a long election night,” said Olaf Scholz, the party’s front-runner, amid cheers and applause from his supporters. “But what’s also clear is that a lot of voters cast their ballots for the Social Democrats because they want a change in government, and also because they want the next chancellor to be called Olaf Scholz.”

Later, as one projection showed the Social Democrats with a one-percentage-point lead, long lines formed at beer and currywurst stands. Some people danced to party music.

Sunday’s festive mood at the SPD’s headquarters marked a strong contrast to election night four years ago, when the party came in 12 percentage points behind the Christian Democrats.

“The joy is enormous,” Malu Dreyer, the Social Democratic minister-president of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and former deputy chairwoman of the party, told The Post. “We have really caught up over the last few weeks â€" the SPD is back, and we’re a people’s party, there’s no doubt about that.”

“I’m fairly confident that we have the lead,” she added.

Armin Laschet says he’s not satisfied with exit polls but vows to try to form a governmentLink copied

BERLIN â€" The lead candidate for Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union expressed disappointment with initial exit polls but said he would try to do everything he could to build a coalition and keep the party in government.

At the Konrad Adenauer Haus, the conservative CDU’s headquarters in Berlin, the initial exit polls were met with hushed murmurs. One put the party and its center-left rival, the Social Democrats, neck and neck with 25 percent each. Another put the Social Democrats two points ahead.

“We cannot be satisfied with the result,” Armin Laschet, the chancellor candidate for the CDU and its smaller ally, the Christian Social Union, said as he spoke before party officials and the media at the party headquarters.

Analysts warn that exit polls could be less accurate than usual this time around because of the large number of mail-in ballots. But the CDU is looking at the possibility of suffering its worst result in history.

Still, Laschet said he would do “everything possible” to form a government led by his party. There’s nothing in German law that mandates that the largest party gets to form a government, leaving open the possibility that the CDU may try to form one even if it comes in behind its rivals.

The biggest applause came as the exit polls showed that a government between the Social Democrats, the Greens and the left-wing Die Linke might not be possible, making it potentially complicated for the Social Democrats, the CDU’s chief rival, to forge a coalition, too.

Like in U.S., surge in mail-in voting expected to be pivotal Link copied

In echoes of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, all eyes are on Germany’s mail-in votes in a tight race for leadership.

Election officials predict mail-in ballots could account for more than 40 percent of the total. As in other countries, the increase in vote-by-post has been attributed to the coronavirus pandemic. Four years ago, about 29 percent of Germans returned their ballots by mail.

The mail-in votes were tallied Sunday at the same time as votes from polling stations. But the mail-ins were not part of exit polls, which put Merkel’s Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats in a virtual tie.

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party has sought to portray mail-in voting as unsafe and has raised the possibility of fraud. Election officials have rejected those claims as unfounded.

“Postal votes have been around since 1957, and to this day we have no evidence of irregularities to an extent that they could influence the election result,” election official Georg Thiel told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland news outlet before the vote.

Early projections: One shows edge for Social Democrats; another with tieLink copied

One early projection put the center-left Social Democrats slightly ahead of Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats shortly after voting ended Sunday. Another projection said the parties were side by side.

A projection by the pollsters Forschungsgruppe Wahlen and public broadcaster ZDF gave the Social Democrats a small edge over the Christian Democrats, whose candidate, Armin Laschet, is seeking to succeed the retiring Merkel as chancellor. But a projection by broadcaster ARD showed the two parties effectively tied.

Analysts have cautioned that early projections and exit polls may swing more than usual this time because of the large number of mail-in votes.

Top parties neck and neck in German election, according to exit pollsLink copied

A closely watched exit poll put both Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats and their center-left rivals, the Social Democrats, at 25 percent. The Infratest dimap poll is based on a random sample of voters. Such exit polls have showed only small deviations from the actual results in past elections. But analysts say the exit polls could be less accurate this time because of the large number of mail-in ballots, which could account for as much as 40 percent of the vote.

A separate exit poll by Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, a private polling group contracted by the German broadcaster ZDF, showed the Social Democrats leading the Christian Democrats by 2 percentage points.

Exit polls also showed the far-left Die Linke party at around 5 percent, meaning that it may fail to reach the threshold to enter parliament. That outcome could have significant implications for all parties and their available options to form a coalition government.

Climate change a top concern for German voters, polls sayLink copied

Climate change and the environment are top concerns for the German electorate, far ahead of the coronavirus pandemic or immigration, according to surveys.

All three major parties â€" the center-left Social Democrats, the conservative Christian Democrats and the Greens â€" have promised action on climate change.

The Greens, which have put forward the most extensive proposals, topped national polls earlier this summer but have since dropped to third place behind the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats.

Younger voters, in particular, seek decisive action on climate issues. But they also fear that the Green party’s slump could leave it in a weakened position in any coalition government it may join.

Midday turnout at 36.5 percent, but election officials note surge in mail-in ballotsLink copied

German election officials reported a turnout of 36.5 percent at slightly more than halfway through voting, lower than at the same time during federal elections four years ago. But experts cautioned that mail-in ballots are not included in the turnout figures, making direct comparisons difficult.

Officials had previously predicted a record number of mail-in votes this year.

In central Berlin, many voters made their way to voting stations despite a marathon that disrupted traffic.

“This feels different than previous elections,” said Felix Schmidt, 29, who cast his ballots for the Green party and the far-left Linke party under Germany’s two-vote system. “In the past elections I voted in, it was always somewhat clear that Angela Merkel would win. But now the race is wide open.”

“During the pandemic, it seemed like [Merkel] didn’t overreact and managed to keep a cool head. I will miss that,” said Christina Kern, 56, adding that she had nevertheless voted for the Green party. “It’s time for a fresh start.”

“Merkel was reliable and good,” said Mechthild Ronig, 63, who voted for the Social Democrats but said she hopes the conservatives will remain part of the government to facilitate a “transition.”

Another issue for Berlin voters: Rising rentsLink copied

Voters in Berlin have another thing on their mind for the post-Merkel era: how to control rising rents.

In parallel to Sunday’s parliamentary elections, residents in Berlin are voting on whether authorities should take control of rental apartments from corporate landlords. The referendum is nonbinding, but it could become a rallying point for efforts to boost more affordable housing.

Initially dismissed as a utopian far-left proposal, the idea has gained momentum in Berlin, where four in five residents live in rental units. Berlin once had some of the cheapest rents of any Western European capital, but costs have surged.

In a recent survey, 47 percent of respondents said they agree that large corporate landlords should be forced to sell their residential apartments to the state.

But experts say it is unlikely that Sunday’s referendum, if passed, would result in sweeping changes in the short term. Most established parties in the city are opposed. Legal experts also caution that forcing the sale of the apartments may be unconstitutional.

As Merkel leaves world stage, some birds didn’t want to let her goLink copied

There’s the famous Merkel eyeroll. And her occasional impish grin.

Now we have the cringe, courtesy of a nip from a parrot.

During a visit to a bird park Thursday, Merkel was captured on camera as a group of hungry lorikeets, a type of parrot, landed on her shoulders and arms. In one photo, Merkel smiles as a lorikeet sits on her head. Then she appears to scream â€" more jokingly than in actual pain â€" as a bird bites the (still) most powerful leader in the Europe Union.

“Most of the birds flew away as soon as the food was gone,” Franziska Haase, a spokeswoman for the bird park, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Visitors to the park are usually allowed to hold an owl.

“But Merkel didn’t want that,” Haase said. “She preferred to watch the owl from a safe distance.”

Key updateGerman candidates cast their vote â€" with one sneak peekLink copied

The three top candidates vying to succeed Merkel as Germany’s next chancellor have cast their ballots. And the standard photo op event for journalists turned into a brief kerfuffle for one of them.

Armin Laschet, 60, who leads Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and is running as its candidate, touched off a controversy in his home city of Aachen after some observers noted that his ballot was visible (and, yes, he voted CDU). That appeared to contravene Germany’s Federal Elections Act, which stipulates voters should “fold the ballot paper in such a way that it is not possible to see how he or she has voted and place it in the ballot box.” (Officials later told the Bild newspaper: “There are no legal consequences from holding or folding or submitting a ballot paper in an unfortunate manner.”)

Olaf Scholz, 63, of the center-left Social Democrats, voted in Potsdam. He said he hopes voters will give him “the mandate to become the next chancellor,” according to Deutsche Welle.

Green party candidate Annalena Baerbock, 40, also cast her vote in Potsdam. In a tweet, she wrote: “If you want a climate government, you should choose Green today.”

German Marshall Fund’s deputy director: Election marks ‘generational change’Link copied

Sudha David-Wilp, deputy director of the German Marshall Fund’s Berlin office, said the German election is a “generational change” because of how much Merkel elevated Berlin’s status in international affairs.

“It’s a change election, not just for Germany, but for Europe and, therefore, the whole world,” she said.

“This is a generational change after 16 years of one person in power,” David-Wilp added. “I think for that reason alone, Germans are very unsure about who would be the proper successor to Angela Merkel.”

That indecision was reflected in pre-election polls. At least 40 percent of potential voters had not made a choice less than two weeks before the election, according to a poll by the Allensbach Institute commissioned by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The majority of those on the fence said they were not persuaded by any of the top candidates.

Climate activists end hunger strike after Scholz agrees to meetingBy Florian Neuhof7:46 a.m.Link copied

A pair of climate activists ended a hunger strike outside the German parliament after Olaf Scholz, the chancellor candidate for the center-left Social Democrats, agreed to a discussion after the vote.

Henning Jeschke, 21, who began the hunger strike in late August, said Scholz called him Saturday and promised to hold a public meeting on climate issues within four weeks. Jeschke was among activists who pitched tents in front of the Reichstag on Aug. 30 demanding to meet with the top three candidates about efforts to tackle the climate crisis. All three candidates initially declined.

Most of the hunger-strikers ended their protest on Thursday. But Jeschke and 24-year-old Lea Bonasera, who joined the hunger strike last week, raised the stakes, announcing that they would stop drinking liquids in addition to refusing food. They singled out Scholz since his party was leading in the polls heading into Sunday’s election. Greens candidate Annalena Baerbock met with the activists on Thursday, according to Germany’s Die Zeit newspaper.

Key update

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