No Clear Cut Winner in German Election
Schroeder Victory Unlikely, Exit Polls Show
By Craig Whitlock
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, September 18, 2005; 2:10 PM
BERLIN, Sept. 18 -- German voters ended the reign of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's ruling coalition Sunday, but split their ballots among so many different parties that no group was immediately able to cobble together a new government, according to exit polls.
Although Schroeder's seven-year career as chancellor appeared to be in severe jeopardy, his chief rival, Angela Merkel, also had a disappointing day. Her coalition of Christian Democrats and Free Democrats fell short of winning a majority in the German Parliament, exit polls showed, raising the prospect of political gridlock in the near term.
Merkel appeared before a crowd of supporters about 30 minutes after the polls closed to acknowledge that she lacked the votes to declare herself Germany's new chancellor. She said she would open negotiations immediately with the country's other parties -- including Schroeder's Social Democrats -- in hopes of forging a new alliance to govern Germany, something that could take days or even weeks to sort out.
"The campaign is over and now we need to create a stable government for the people of Germany," Merkel said. "This is our mandate."
Exit polls indicated that the electorate was more fragmented than in any other national election in recent history, a reflection of widespread anxiety over high unemployment and a sputtering economy, as well as a lack of confidence in either Merkel or Schroeder to lead the government.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/18/AR2005091800225.html?nav=hcmodule
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