Olaf Scholz elected Chancellor of Germany
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Winning 395 out of 707 votes, the new chancellor of Germany has been announced.
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Olaf Scholz, the new chancellor of Germany.
After 16 years of Angela Merkel's reign in Germany, Olaf Scholz has been elected to become the new chancellor of Germany, Wednesday. The new chancellor pledged that the center-left coalition will be offering a "new beginning" for the country.
Scholz will be leading the first federal "traffic light" coalition, made up of the Social Democratic Party, the ecologist Greens, and the liberal Free Democrats, and he will be the ninth leader of Germany after the war.
Formerly a finance minister, Scholz won 395 out of 707 votes and has promised a broad "continuity" with Merkel whilst making Germany "greener" and "fairer."
"We have a chance for a new beginning for Germany," Scholz told his party over the weekend.
The alliance aims to slash carbon emissions, repair weakened digital infrastructure, modernize citizenship laws, lift the minimum wage, and have Germany join a handful of countries worldwide in legalizing marijuana.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, after Scholz was named Chancellor, urged him to "ensure that the pandemic does not keep us firmly in its grip for another year," as the fourth wave of the coronavirus has broken out.
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Scholz, saying, "We will write the next chapter together" while EU Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen said she looked forward to cooperation for a "strong Europe".
Scholz's office announced his first official visit will be in Paris and Brussels for talks with Macron and von der Leyen, respectively.
On the other side, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered "constructive ties" with Scholz's government, while China's President Xi Jinping said that China intends to work with Germany to "promote bilateral ties to a new level."
