‘I Bear Responsibility’: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz After Defeat In National Elections

<p>German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lamented a ‘bitter’ defeat after his centre-left Social Democrats lost the Sunday’s national elections.</p>
<p>”The election result is poor and I bear responsibility,” Scholz told Social Democrats (SPD) party members, while congratulating conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, whose party came out on top.</p>
<p>The outgoing German chancellor’s SPD recorded their worst postwar result with just 16% of the vote. Friedrich Merz&rsquo;s conservative CDU/CSU alliance secured victory with over 28%, making him to take over as the next chancellor. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to second place with more than 20%, marking its strongest performance in history.</p>
<p>Earlier, after the state broadcasters ARD and ZDF published exit polls, Merz said,&thinsp;&ldquo;I know the scale of the challenge that lies ahead of us.” &ldquo;I approach this with the greatest respect. And I know that it will not be easy.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;We had a hard campaign but now we will talk to each other,&rdquo; Merz said, adding that he wanted to form a government quickly, without elaborating on which parties he will turn to.</p>