Olaf Scholz yesterday became Germany’s ninth post-World War II chancellor, opening a new era for the EU’s most populous nation and largest economy after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure.
Scholz’s government takes office with high hopes of modernizing Germany and combating climate change, but faces the immediate challenge of handling the country’s toughest phase yet of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lawmakers voted 395-303 to elect Scholz, with six abstentions — a comfortable majority, although short of the 416 seats his three-party coalition holds in the 736-seat lower house of parliament.
Photo: Reuters
That is not unusual when chancellors are elected and some lawmakers were out sick.
Scholz exchanged fist bumps with lawmakers from across the political spectrum before German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier formally appointed him as chancellor.
He was sworn in by German Parliament President Barbel Bas later yesterday.
Merkel, who is no longer a member of parliament, looked on from the spectators’ gallery as parliament voted.
Lawmakers gave her a standing ovation as the session started.
World leaders from Russian President Vladimir Putin to French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen extended their congratulations to Scholz.
Putin wants “constructive ties” with Scholz and hopes for continuity in relations between the two countries, the Kremlin said.
“We are counting on continuity, on the fact that constructive relations will develop between the president and the new chancellor, that the German side will continue to proceed from the understanding that there is no alternative to dialogue to resolve the most difficult differences,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Scholz, 63, leads a coalition of his Social Democratic Party, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party.
“We are venturing a new departure, one that takes up the major challenges of this decade and well beyond that,” Scholz said on Tuesday.
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