German election live: Social Democrats secure narrow win as CDU plunges to historic low
by Helen Livingstone (now) and Jon Henley (earlier) from on (#5Q0H1)
Official preliminary results show SPD secured 25.7% of the vote and CDU won 24.1%
- SPD wins narrow victory as Merkel era ends in near-deadlock
- German election results in full
- What happens next as parties vie to form government
7.13am BST
That's if from me, Helen Livingstone, for today, we are pausing the blog here. For a full rundown of the election results check out the report from our Berlin correspondent, Kate Connolly:
Related: Germany election: SPD wins narrow victory as Merkel era ends in near-deadlock
7.02am BST
If you'd like to see Olaf Scholz in action, here is the SPD leader and current finance minister speaking to his party on election night, telling them that Germans have voted for the SPD because they want the name of the next chancellor to be Olaf Scholz":
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