READ ALSO: AS IT HAPPENED: Social Democrats narrowly win German election as CDU suffers historic lossesWestern allies are watching closely, aware that domestic preoccupations could blunt Germany’s role on the international stage and create a leadership vacuum in Europe. The FDP’s Christian Lindner wants to find common ground with the Greens before heading into coalition talks with larger parties. The vote outcome will see Germany’s Bundestag lower house swell to a record 735 lawmakers, according to the election commission. Should the talks last beyond December 17th, she would overtake Helmut Kohl as Germany’s longest-serving chancellor since World War II. While all Germany’s main parties are pro-EU, none of her would-be successors can match her political gravitas.

Source: The Local September 27, 2021 05:37 UTC