SPD has first claim to form next German government

BERLIN: The Social Democrats (SPD) should be first in line to form the next German government after beating Angela Merkel’s conservative alliance in Germany’s election, her Bavarian allies CSU said on Tuesday.

"The SPD is not too far ahead, but it is ahead of the (conservative bloc)," Alexander Dobrindt, the parliamentary leader of the CSU, said after a meeting of the party’s newly elected MPs. The CDU-CSU should therefore expect that other parties "are talking to the SPD first", he said.

"Olaf Scholz clearly has the better chance of becoming chancellor at the moment," Bavarian premier Markus Soeder added. The election result "must be accepted, it is a basic rule of democracy," he said. The SPD and their chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz narrowly won Sunday’s election with 25.7 percent of the vote.

The conservative bloc under Armin Laschet trailed behind on 24.1 percent -- its lowest election score since World War II. But Laschet, who is also the head of the CSU, insisted his party would still try to build a governing coalition and was ready for talks with the Greens and the liberal FDP for a possible partnership.

Laschet also failed to congratulate Scholz on the election win, provoking criticism from other parties and from within his own ranks. "It is important to respect an election result," Soeder said Tuesday. "Part of that is that I once again congratulate Olaf Scholz."

Meanwhile, key Bavarian allies of Angela Merkel’s party conceded on Tuesday that the centre-left’s Olaf Scholz has the best chance of becoming Germany’s next chancellor, putting the conservatives on the brink of sitting on the opposition benches after the vote debacle.

Armin Laschet’s CDU-CSU conservative alliance brought home its worst election result in post-war Germany of 24.1 percent in Sunday’s election, behind Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) on 25.7 percent.

But Laschet, head of the CDU and the conservative bloc’s hope to succeed Angela Merkel, has insisted his party will still try to build a governing coalition and is ready for talks with the Greens and the liberal FDP for a possible partnership.

After huddling for the first meeting of its newly elected MPs on Tuesday, the Bavarian CSU pulled the rug under Laschet by declaring the SPD should be first in the queue to form the next government.

"The SPD is not too far ahead, but it is ahead of the (conservative bloc)," said Alexander Dobrindt, the parliamentary leader of the CSU, adding the bloc should therefore expect that other parties "are talking to the SPD first".

"Olaf Scholz clearly has the better chance of becoming chancellor at the moment," Bavarian premier Markus Soeder added, insisting the election result "must be accepted, it is a basic rule of democracy".