Social Democrat Olaf Scholz was elected Chancellor by the Bundestag in Berlin with 395 votes. This is how the Merkel era ends in Germany after 16 years. At 63, Scholz becomes the fourth SPD chancellor after Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt and Gerhard Schroeder.
At the beginning of the session, the president of the Bundestag, the Social Democrat Barbel Bas, welcomed Merkel, seated in the grandstand, who received a long ovation to which she replied by saluting several times. The deputies are called one by one in alphabetical order to vote, a process that lasted about 90 minutes.
At around 12.00, Bas will return to the Bundestag again for the investiture and Scholz will be sworn in. Subsequently, again at Palazzo Bellevue, the new ministers will be appointed and around 1:30 pm the composition of the executive will be announced at the Bundestag, at the end of which the members of the Council of Ministers will also be sworn in. Subsequently, Merkel will receive her successor in the Chancellery for the transfer of functions, after which the new government can officially begin work.