A man casts his ballot for the German elections in a polling station in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. In background the German national flag. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) In this Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021 file photo, People walk and drive past election posters of the three candidates for German chancellor , from right, Armin Laschet, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Annalena Baerbock, German Green party (Die Gruenen) and Olaf Scholz, Social Democratic Party (SPD), at a street in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Germany’s closely fought election on Sunday will set the direction of the European Union’s most populous country after 16 years under Angela Merkel, whose party is scrambling to avoid defeat by its center-left rivals after a rollercoaster campaign. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File) Voters stand in front of a European, German and Berlin flag at a polling station to cast their votes in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. German elect a new national parliament. (Sebastian Gollnow/dpa via AP) German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier casts his vote for the national elections in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Pool via AP) Social Democratic Party, SPD, candidate for chancellor Olaf Scholz casts his vote for the German parliament election in Potsdam, Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. (Michael Kappeler/Pool via AP) CAPTION CORRECTS RIGHT TO LEFT Armin Laschet, left, Christian Democratic Union parties candidate for Chancellery and Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia and his wife Susanne cast their votes for the German parliament election in Aachen, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Sept. 26, 2021 about 60.4 million people in the nation of 83 million are eligible to elect the new Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, which will elect the next head of government. (Federico Gambarini/dpa via AP) Candidate for chancellor Annalena Baerbock arrives to cast her vote in Postdam, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. German voters are choosing a new parliament in an election that will determine who succeeds Chancellor Angela Merkel after her 16 years at the helm of Europe’s biggest economy. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP) Chancellor Angela Merkel and Governor Armin Laschet, top candidate for the upcoming election, wave to supporters at the final election campaign event of the Christian Democratic Party, CDU, ahead of the German general election in Aachen, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Clouds drift over the Reichstag building with the German parliament in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. German elections are held on Sunday. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) A man casts his vote for Germany's national parliament election at a polling station in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. German voters are choosing a new parliament in an election that will determine who succeeds Chancellor Angela Merkel after her 16 years at the helm of Europe's biggest economy.(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) An election volunteer opens the polling box for a woman that she can casts her vote for Germany's national parliament election at a polling station in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. German voters are choosing a new parliament in an election that will determine who succeeds Chancellor Angela Merkel after her 16 years at the helm of Europe's biggest economy. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Olaf Scholz, right, top candidate for chancellor of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and his wife Britta Ernst, left, arrive at a polling station in Potsdam, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. On Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021 about 60.4 million people in the nation of 83 million are eligible to elect the new Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, which will elect the next head of government. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) Armin Laschet, right, Christian Democratic Union parties candidate foe Chancellery and Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia and his wife Susanne arrive to vote for the German parliament election in Aachen, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Sept. 26, 2021 about 60.4 million people in the nation of 83 million are eligible to elect the new Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, which will elect the next head of government. (Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa via AP) Armin Laschet, Christian Democratic Union parties candidate for Chancellery and Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia waits to cast his vote for the German parliament election in Aachen, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Sept. 26, 2021 about 60.4 million people in the nation of 83 million are eligible to elect the new Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, which will elect the next head of government. (Federico Gambarini/dpa via AP) A young mother with two children kneels behind the voting booth at a polling station for the German Parliament election in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. On Sept. 26, 2021 about 60.4 million people in the nation of 83 million are eligible to elect the new Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, which will elect the next head of government. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP)
BERLIN (AP) — Germany's center-left Social Democrats were locked in a very close race Sunday with outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc in the country's parliamentary election, a vote that will determine who succeeds the long-time leader after 16 years in power, exit polls showed. Officials from both parties said they hope to lead the next government.
An exit poll for ARD public television put voters' support at 25% each for the Social Democrats — for whom outgoing Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz is running for chancellor — and Merkel’s center-right bloc under would-be successor state governor Armin Laschet.
Another exit poll for ZDF public television put the Social Democrats ahead by 26% to 24%. Both put the environmentalist Greens in third place with about 15% support.
The electoral system typically produces coalition governments but post-World War II Germany has never previously seen a winning party take less than 31% of the vote -- or the Union bloc score less than that.
Given the exit poll predictions, putting together the next coalition government for Europe’s biggest economy could be a lengthy and complicated process. Merkel will remain as a caretaker leader until a new government is in place.
The exit polls also put support for the business-friendly Free Democrats at 11-12% and the Left Party at 5%. The far-right Alternative for Germany party — which no other party wants to work with — was seen winning up to 11% of the vote.
The general secretary of Laschet's Christian Democratic Union, Paul Ziemiak, acknowledged that his party had suffered “bitter losses” compared with the last election four years ago, in which it scored 32.9% of the vote. But he said it would be a “long election evening” and pointed to the possibility of a coalition with the Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats.
His Social Democrat counterpart, Lars Klingbeil, declared that his party “is back” after languishing for years in the polls. He said "with this, we have the mission to form a coalition.” He wouldn't say which coalition partners would be approached
The Social Democrats have been boosted by Scholz's relative popularity after a long poll slump, and by his rivals' troubled campaigns. The Greens' first candidate for chancellor, Annalena Baerbock, suffered from early gaffes and Laschet, the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state, struggled to motivate his party's traditional base.
About 60.4 million people in the nation of 83 million were eligible to elect the new Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, which will elect the next head of government.
Merkel won't be an easy leader to follow, for she has won plaudits for steering Germany through several major crises. Her successor will have to tend the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, which Germany so far has weathered relatively well thanks to large rescue programs.
Laschet insists there should be no tax increases as Germany pulls out of the pandemic. Scholz and Baerbock favor tax hikes for the richest Germans, and also back an increase in the minimum wage.
Germany's leading parties have significant differences in their proposals for tackling climate change. Laschet’s Union bloc is pinning its hopes on technological solutions and a market-driven approach, while the Greens want to ramp up carbon prices and end the use of coal earlier than planned. Scholz has emphasized the need to protect jobs as Germany transitions to greener energy.
Foreign policy hasn’t featured much in the campaign, though the Greens favor a tougher stance toward China and Russia.
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Frank Jordans, Kirsten Grieshaber and Karin Laub contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s coverage of Germany’s election at https://apnews.com/hub/germany-election
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