+++ First Official Results Released +++

(00:53) The preliminary official results have been released for all the German states.

SPD - 34.3%
CDU/CSU - 35.2%
Greens - 8.1%
FDP - 9.8%
Left Party/PDS - 8.7%
NPD - 1.6%


+++ Decision in Dresden? +++

(11:27 p.m.) According to forecasts by broadcasters ARD:

CDU - 35.2 %

SPD - 34.2 %

But the results may be narrower because of the so-called "overhang mandate," a technicality in the German parliamentary process, which means late elections in Dresden on October 2 could be decisive (if the CDU doesn't win the district outright).

Germans vote twice -- once for a local candidate, then for a party to represent them in parliament -- and the results of these votes are almost always proportionately identical. Sometimes, though, a party will gain more seats through the (direct) first vote than the second (party) vote, and in such cases the party can keep the so-called "overhang" seats from the first vote.

+++ ZDF puts CDU ahead of SPD +++

(10:59 p.m.) Public broadcaster ZDF and research group Wahlen have released new forecasts for the final count between CDU/CSU and SPD:

CDU - 35.0 %

SPD - 34.1 %

+++ Germans Want a Grand Coalition +++

(10:40 p.m.) Forty-two percent of Germans believe that a grand coalition between left and right -- the SPD and the CDU -- would be "best for Germany". That's according to the results of a poll conducted by ARD. Another 20 percent favor a so-called "Jamaica Coalition," consisting of the (black) CDU, (yellow, business-friendly) FDP, and the Green Party. Eighteen percent are in favor of a so-called "stoplight coalition" of the (red) SPD, (yellow) FDP, and Greens.

+++ "Kirchhof will be a professor again" +++

(10:34 p.m.) Paul Kirchhof, the tax- and finance-expert brought into the CDU campaign by Angela Merkel, has called off his brief excursion into politics, according to the German news agency ddp. Sources within the party said on Sunday that Kirchhof wants to go back to economics.

+++ Merz criticizes the CDU's campaigning +++

(10:27 p.m.) The CDU's finance expert Friedrich Merz has criticized his party's campaign. Merz is a longtime rival of Angela Merkel's who was brought late into the campaign by Merkel herself after her first shadow finance minister, Paul Kirchhof, fell under heavy fire for his flat-tax plan. Merz told the TV network ZDF that someone would have to answer for the CDU/CSU's loss of seats in parliament. "The whole campaign has certainly not been handled optimally," he said.

+++ Müntefering Backs Up Schröder's Claim +++

(10:10 p.m.) Franz Müntefering, head of the SPD, backed up Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's claim that he might keep his job. "We are the strongest Party -- and therefore Chancellor Schröder has earned the right to continue to govern Germany," Müntefering said during a television interview. He didn't rule out the possibility that the SPD could end up with the greatest number of representatives in parliament.

+++ Business Leaders Surprised +++

(9:36 p.m.) Some German businessmen are openly unhappy with the election results. President of the Federation of German Industries, Jürgen Thumann, called the results "bitterly disappointing." The President of Foreign Trade, Anton Börner, also said he was disappointed, because the elections offered no clear direction. The president of the Federation of Self-Employed Workers, Rolf Kurz, called for "quick reforms, regardless of what kind of government emerges." A "coalition of sanity" is what Bernhard Rohleder -- head of the Federation for Information Technology, Telecommunications, and New Media -- wanted.

+++ Forsa sees SPD as the strongest faction +++

(9:23 p.m.) The Forsa Institute sees the SPD as the strongest faction in the German parliament. In a projection for the TV network N-TV it claims 223 seats for the SPD and only 220 for CDU/CSU.

+++ Trittin astounded by Merkel +++

(9:13 p.m.) Environmental Minister Jürgen Trittin says, "There is no mandate in Germany for the neo-liberal dismantling of the welfare state." Regarding the possible coalitions, Trittin says that Greens are "have received an astounding invitation ... Who would have believed that Angela Merkel would invite us to a coalition talk?" In any case, the Greens are prepared "to speak even with rather difficult personalities."

+++ Fischer against CDU/FDP/Greens Coalition +++

(8:46 p.m.) German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has said he couldn't imagine his party, the Greens, entering into any government with the conservative Christian Democratic Union and business-friendly Free Democratic Party. Realistically speaking, he said, that wouldn't work with either Edmund Stoiber (of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the CSU) or Ms. Merkel." He said the policy differences between the Greens and the other parties were "very big," and he accused the CDU/CSU and FDP of "coldness when it comes to social equality and of being a step back environmentally." At the same time, Fischer said his party would not reject an invitation to enter into talks with Merkel.

+++ Schröder Rejects Cooperation with Merkel +++

(8:40 p.m.) Later in the televised debate, a heated Schröder rejected the possibility of conducting conversations with the CDU, at least under the premise of having a future Chancellor Angela Merkel. "They won't get away with that," said the SPD politician. "The German people have clearly chosen their chancellor," he said, adding that only he could be chancellor.

+++ Westerwelle Reiterates Unwillingness to Govern with Social Democrats +++

(8:34 p.m.) Guido Westerwelle, the chairman of the Free Democratic Party, again reiterated his unwillingness to join any coalition with the Social Democrats and Greens during a post-election talk show with leaders of Germany's other major parties. "There will be no stoplight coalition in Germany with the Free Democrats," he said on a show broadcast by the country's two leading public broadcasters. Westerwelle said that his party's goal in the election was to eliminate the current government coalition of Social Democrats and Greens. Another senior FDP member said that in light of the CDU's poor result in the election, it would be impossible for the FDP to form a government with it, and that the party's main mandate would now be in the opposition.

+++ Defiant Schröder +++

(8:23 p.m.) In a post-election debate organized by Germany's two major public broadcasters, Gerhard Schröder exchanged sharp words with both hosts, Nicholas Brender and Hartmann von der Tann. The Chancellor harshly attacked the media and defended the position that he had earned the mandate to remain the head of government. "No one other than me is in the position to build a stable coalition."

+++ German Pollster: Only 1 Point Difference Between SPD and CDU/CSU +++

(20:07) According to one Germany's leading polling firms, Forsa, commissioned by cable news station N-TV, the Social Democrats are now just one percentage point behind the Christian Democrats. According to Forsa's latest forecast, the SPD has gained 34.1 percent of the votes compared to the CDU/CSU's 34.9 percent. The Greens have garnered 8.2 percent of votes, the FDP 10 percent and the Left Party/PDS 8.5 percent.

+++ SPD Strongest Party in Former East German States +++

(7:50 p.m.) The Social Democrats, according to projections from ARD and ZDF, have defended their position as the strongest party in East German states. ZDF reports that they've earned 29.5 of easterners' votes, ARD reports 30.7 percent. There is a neck-and-neck race in the east between the CDU and the Left Party. ARD reported that the CDU led the Left Party by o.3 percent, with a total of 25.3 percent, while ZDF reports that both parties received 25.9 percent. The Green Party and the FDP received, according to ARD, 5.4 percent and 8 percent, respectively; ZDF reports 4.4 percent and 8.6 percent, for the Greens and the FDP, respectively.

+++ Gerhardt affirms FDP's rejection of a Stoplight Coalition +++

(7:40 p.m.) One of the FDP's top politicians, Wolfgang Gerhardt, affirmed that his party ruled out a "stoplight coalition" with the SPD and the Green Party. "I don't know anyone in the FDP who wants that," he said in a television interview with ARD. "You can lose credibility, if, after the election, you act differently than you said you would ... I'll stick with my answer: if we can't form a majority with the CDU, then we'll be the third-largest party in parliament, in opposition."

+++ The Latest Forecasts +++

(7:31/7:36 p.m.)

German public broadcaster ZDF:

SPD - 33.9%
CDU/CSU - 35.2%
Greens - 8.2%
FDP - 10.1%
Left/PDS - 8.5%
Others - 3.9%


German public broadcaster ARD:

SPD - 34.1%
CDU/CSU - 35.3%
Greens - 8.1%
FDP - 10.3%
Left/PDS - 8.6%
Others - 3.8%


+++ Schröder: I Could Lead Coalition Government +++

(7:26 p.m.) Despite his party's poor showing, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of the Social Democrats told party supporters Sunday night that he should remain chancellor. "I feel this validates ... that in the next four years, the country will have a stabile government under my leadership." However, he said he would reject a grand coalition under the leadership of the Christian Democrats. Schröder said his party would negotiate will all parties except the Left Party. Schröder said he was proud of the SPD's results -- noting that professional observers had seen it as "completely impossible." He also accused the media of attempting to manipulate the election.

+++ Joschka Fischer: A Good Result for the Greens +++

(7:11 p.m.) Leading Green candidate and incumbent Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer calls the election results "good" for the Greens. Red-Green may not have a majority, but the possible coalition of conservative Christian Democrats and Free Democrats has been blocked, he said in Berlin. "These election results are difficult," he said, adding that a coalition isn't out of the question for the Greens. His party has to view the results as a mandate to work with the mood of the nation, "whether in opposition or in some other role. We'll see."

+++ Greens Leader Doesn't Rule Out Possibility of Stoplight Coalition +++

(7:10 p.m.) Reinhard Bütikofer, the head of the Green Party, has not ruled out the possibility of his party participating in a "stoplight coalition", in which the Greens would partner with the CDU and the FDP. In a television interview on public broadcaster ARD, he said that the election has proven, first of all, that the CDU has earned the most votes. The Greens, he continued, would listen to what Merkel has to say regarding coalitions. Bütikofer spoke just as openly in favor of a coalition consisting of the SPD and the FDP. In any case, the Greens will go to all the talks with self-confidence. "Opposition is also an option," he said.

+++ Merkel Says Talks Open To All, Just Not Left Party +++

(7:01 p.m.) Angela Merkel has also signalled the possibility of talks with the Social Democrats and the Greens. She said in Berlin that she'll hold coalition talks with every party coming into the Bundestag except the Left Party, with the idea of realizing as much of the CDU's platform as possible.

+++ FDP's Westerwelle Rules Out "Stoplight" Coalition +++

(6:48 p.m.) The head of the Free Democratic Party, Guido Westerwelle, sees his party as the "victor of the day." The free-marketeering FDP has emerged from the election as the country's third-strongest party, Westerwelle claimed in Berlin. The FDP, he continued, had earned at the polls "one of the best results" in its history. He also emphasized that his party was not available for a so-called "stoplight coalition", in which the FDP would partner with the SPD and the Green Party. "We will continue to clearly pursue our course. If there aren't enough votes for Black-Yellow (a coalition with the CDU -ed.), then we'll be in the opposition."

+++ Merkel: "I've earned the mandate" +++

(6:40 p.m.) Angela Merkel has claimed that she's earned a mandate to govern Germany. "We have a decisive mandate (to govern)" she announced in Berlin. At the same time, she admitted that her party, the CDU, does not have enough votes to form a coalition with its preferred party, the business-friendly FDP.

+++ Pollster: FDP Profited from Christian Democrats +++

(6:38 p.m.) A key German pollster, Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, is concluding that the Free Democratic Party's strong showing in the election is attributable to aversion to the possibility of a "grand coalition" between the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats. Only 36 percent of CDU and CSU supporters said in polls that they wanted to work together with the Social Democrats. Thus, many gave their second vote to the Free Democrats. On the other hand, 52 percent of Social Democratic voters said they throught a grand coalition could be an alternative to a government led by the Social Democrats and the Greens.

+++ Subdued Reactions in SPD Quarters +++

(6:32 p.m.) Cheers for SPD-chairman Franz Münterfering, but otherwise restrained reactions in the Willy-Brandt House at the SPD's election party. With the weak results for their own party, the members are calculating that the crisis won't run too deep. Cheers break out whenever a new low number gets reported for CDU/CSU. "The Union has lost," is the tenor among the party faithful. And: more and more people are talking eagerly about a 'stoplight' (Red-Green-Yellow between the Social Democrats, Greens and FDP) coalition."

+++ Left Party Cheers Blocking of Christian Democrat/FDP Coalition +++

(6:15 p.m.) There are only happy faces at the Left Party's post-election celebration in a huge tent next to the former Palace of the Republic in Berlin. PDS party chief Lothar Bisky: "We stopped a black-yellow coalition." Bisky sees a clear rejection of that particular kind of shared government.

+++ First ARD Forecast +++

(6:13 p.m.) According to the latest television forecast, the CDU has locked a place in the next governing coalition. Nonetheless, they received a smaller percentage of the electorate than they did in the last federal election: 36.6 percent compared to 38.5 in 2002. Equally clear is that the FDP has picked up voters, earning 10.5 percent today, as opposed to 2002 showing of 7.4 percent. In any case, the days of the governing Red-Green coalition seem assuredly over. The SPD lost 5 percent of the electorate over the last three years, earning a total of 33.2 percent. The Greens have 8.1 percent, half a percentage less than in 2002, while the Left Party seem to be big winners, even if they don't take part in a governing coalition, earning 8.1 percent, twice their showing in the last federal election.

+++ First ARD Forecast +++

(6:12 p.m.) Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats and the Greens have been voted out of government. The strongest party, according to the first forecast by German public broadcaster ARD, will be the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) -- with 35.7 percent of the votes (2002: 38.5 percent). The Social Democrats appear to have garnered 33.8 percent (2002: 38.5 percent). The FDP has 10.4 percent (2002: 7.4 percent). The Greens are at 8.4 percent (2002: 8.6 percent). The Left Party will likely get 7.7 percent (2002: PDS 4 percent)

+++ Hesse's CDU Governor Says Merkel Has Mandate to Govern +++

(6:04 p.m.) The CDU chief in Hessen, Roland Koch, says on ZDF that it looks like "a very, very, difficult result. But Angela Merkel does have a mandate to govern."

+++ FDP Emerges as Key Winner +++

(6:07 p.m.) At the Free Democratic Party's election night party, wild cheering has erupted. "It won't be our fault if there's not a change of power," people here are saying.

+++ Greens Boo FDP, Celebrate Minimal Losses +++

(6:03 p.m.) At the Green Party's election party at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport, those gathered have already come to the conclusion that the government they have shared with the Social Democrats has finally come to an end. Nevertheless, some are cheering the weak showing on the part of the Christian Democrats. Cheers also erupt over the Green's good showing -- the party has hardly suffered any losses with its 8 percent. The main thing on everybody's mind here is that the Christian Democrats will be unable to form their desired governing coalition with the business-friendly Free Democratic Party.

+++ ARD Releases First Exit Poll +++

(6 p.m.) According to the tabulations of the exit polls by German public broadcaster ARD , the Christian Democratics, Angela Merkel's conservative party bloc, has emerged from the election with the most votes. But the party's 36 percent result is clearly a disappointment. Meanwhile, Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats garnered even fewer votes: 33.5 percent. The FDP improved its 2002 results by earning 10.5 percent, a 3 point increase, while the Left Party/PDS got 8.5 percent and the Greens held their own with 8.5 percent.

+++ First ZDF Exit Poll Released +++

(6 p.m.) Public broadcaster ZDF and Forschungsgruppe Wahlen have released their first exit poll:

CDU - 37%
SPD - 33%
FDP - 10.5%
Greens - 8 %
Left Party/PDS - 8%


With this result, the Christian Democrats would be the largest party in parliament, but they wouldn't have enough seats to form the government they desired with the business-friendly Free Democratic Party. And it also looks like the end of Gerhard Schröder's government coalition between the Social Democrats and the Greens.

During the 2002 election, ZDF and Wahlen had the most accurate exit poll.

+++ German Polling Stations Are Closed +++

(6 p.m.) The polling stations are closed. Re-cap of the last federal elections in Germany: In 2002, the SPD received 38.5 percent of the votes, while the CDU also got 38.5 - though a few more figures after the decimal point would reveal that they had a few thousand fewer voters. Otherwise, the Green Party got 8.6 percent, the FDP had 7.4 and the PDS (today's Left Party) had 4 percent.

+++ Germany's Party Leaders Cast Votes +++

(5:32 p.m.) Germany's top candidates for chancellor all voted around noon. Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of the Social Democratic Party voted in the morning in his hometown of Hanover, with his wife. Angela Merkel, accompanied by her husband Joachim Sauer, voted shortly after noon in Berlin, at the very place where Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer of the Green Party voted earlier in the day. Gregor Gysi, of the Left Party, also voted earlier in Berlin. Other top politicians voted in their respective hometowns: Edmund Stoiber, head of the Bavarian conservative party, voted in Wolfratshausen, while Guido Westerwelle cast his vote in Bonn in North-Rhine Westphalia. Germany's approximately 80,000 polling stations have been open for the country's 62 million voters since 8 a.m. and will stay open until 6 p.m.

+++ The Buzz in Berlin's Government Quarter +++

(5:17 p.m.) Berlin's government quarter -- the parliament buildings and chancellery near the Reichstag -- is positively buzzing: not just from the crowds who have come to watch the election unfold, but also literally buzzing from the dozens of satellite trucks that have converged on the capital city to broadcast this historical election to the world. At the Berliner Republic bar on the edge Spree River, bartenders are even selling Pilsner beers named for the main chancellor candidates, Gerhard Schröder of the Social Democrats, and Angela Merkel of the conservative opposition Christian Democratic Union, who is poised to become Germany's first-ever female leader. Over at the German-language Hauptstadt blog  , Ivo Gabrowitsch has posted photos from the giant park in front of the Reichstag. Fortunately, you don't need to read German to experience all the excitement going on here -- the photos tell the story.

As German blogger Heiko Hebig  notes on his English site, the world is watching. For weeks now, CNN International has been plastering signs on walls in most major German cities advertising it's major coverage of the election that will determine the next chancellor of the world's largest exporter and third-largest economy.