By Bruno Waterfield - 19th September 2005
Germany’s elections have ended in stalemate leaving the country politically deadlocked for days or weeks ahead.
Centre-right leader Angela Merkel won the election by just three seats failing to secure a clear overall majority.
The conservative Christian Democrats took 35.2 per cent of the vote, or 225 seats, as Germany’s centre-left Social Democrats came from behind to take 34.3 per cent.
Merkel must now try a series of political manoeuvres and alliance building if she is to become Germany’s first woman chancellor.
Her programme of tax, welfare and labour market reforms are set to be an early casualty of the deadlock.
Germany’s former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder – who mounted an unexpected fight back to rob Merkel of an early lead – has ruled out sharing power.
He is prepared to seek a power sharing government of his own if Merkel fails to find enough allies to form a ruling coalition.
The likeliest outcome for most observers appears to be a ‘grand coalition’ of the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats after a period of infighting.
But after an unusually hostile – in German terms – election campaign, relations between Merkel and Schroeder my rule out a deal before a deadline of October 18, when parliament must choose a new chancellor.
The German business newspaper Handelsblatt sees “a fatal result for Germany" and predicts “coalition chaos in Berlin”.
The theme is taken by Germany’s best selling tabloid, “war of the chancellors” shouts the Bild headlines.
Many German newspapers regard the result as a major setback for Merkel – who lead opinion polls at the start of the election race.
Berliner Zeitung observes she “couldn't do it” and Sueddeutsche Zeitung notes “the end of Angela Merkel's chancellorship even before it began”.
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