Salahdin Koban (a Berlin-based party member) was one of the few remaining people at the headquarters on Sunday.
Koban claimed that too many errors were made by candidate Armin Lasschet during the campaign to explain CDU's losses.
He stated that it was difficult for anyone to succeed Angela Merkel in the role of chancellor.
Merkel declared in 2018 that she would not be running again for this election. Koban described Merkel as "simply an icon" that anyone can follow.
BERLIN -- This year's national election will see the far-right Alternative for Germany party lose support relative to four years ago.
Projections based upon exit polls and partial votes on Sunday showed that the party received less than 11%, compared to 12.6% in 2017.
The party, also known as AfD in German, did not get its core issue, migration, onto the campaign agenda.
Tino Chrupalla, co-leader of the party, said that despite the outcome, he was satisfied with the result and appreciated the large losses suffered by Chancellor Angela Merkel's Union bloc.
AfD stated four years ago that it would "hunt Merkel", but she said in 2018 that she wouldn't run for a fifth term. AfD has been ruled out by other parties.
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BERLIN-- Social Democrats supporters raised red flags and broke into chants. Then, Olaf Scholz, the party's long-serving candidate, walked onto the stage at Berlin's party headquarters.
Scholz thanked all the voters, campaigners and crowds across the country. Scholz stated that the party won three elections: in Berlin, nationally and in Mecklenburg West Pomerania.
Michael Mueller, Berlin's outgoing mayor, ran for a seat at the country's national legislature. He said, as he stood among the crowd, "I couldn’t be happier tonight."
BERLIN - The Union bloc candidate for Angela Merkel is adamant that the party will do everything possible to form a new government, despite having posted what's likely to be its worst election result since World War II.
Armin Laschet stated on Sunday that "we cannot be satisfied with this result" from the exit polls. He stated that the result "put Germany, the Union and all democratic parties in front of big challenges."
Laschet stated that Germany would likely have its first national government made up of three parties. He stated that "we will do all we can to form a government in the Union's direction, because Germany now requires a coalition that modernizes the country."
Laschet was surrounded in Berlin by the top brass of his party, including Merkel, while he spoke at its headquarters.
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BERLIN - Germany's third and fourth largest parties in exit polls appear to be playing the role of kingmaker when it comes to deciding the composition of the next government coalition and the country’s next chancellor.
The polls showed that the Greens won around 15%, their highest showing yet, but less than the expectations due to a surge of popularity in the early part of the campaign.
Michael Kellner, Greens secretary general, stated that they had gained significantly but it was difficult for him to enjoy it as he had higher expectations.
Kellner acknowledged that the Greens had stated that they preferred a coalition with the center left Social Democrats, but said that "we are open to speaking with all democratic parties to determine what's possible."
Exit polls indicate that the pro-business Free Democrats are in fourth place with 11% to 12%. They had stated during the campaign that they would prefer a coalition with center-right Union bloc, which saw a sharp drop in support. On Sunday, Volker Wissing (Free Democrats' Secretary General) stated that it was too early to discuss potential coalition partners.
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BERLIN -- The German capital is set to have its first Green mayor.
Based on exit polls, partial vote counts and exit polls, projections show that the environmentalist party won the largest share of votes. This is ahead of the center-left Social Democrats, who have held Berlin's mayoral post for over two decades.
The Greens are expected to win 23.5% of votes, an increase of over 8% from the previous election. Social Democrats expected to retain their share of 21.5%, while the center-right Christian Democrats were projected as coming in third with 15%.
The Social Democrats are expected to win a strong victory in Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania, a northeastern state. The party was expected to win 37% of votes, beating the Alternative for Germany's 18.5%. Exit polls revealed that the Social Democrats' current coalition partners in government, the Union bloc, came third with 14%.
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BERLIN - According to exit polls from the German general election, the general secretary of center-left Social Democrats believes that his party has been given a mandate for a coalition.
Lars Klingbeil spoke moments after exit polls had been published by the main TV channels on Sunday.
The ZDF channel polled the SPD slightly more than its main rival, center-right Union bloc (26% to 24%) The poll by the ARD channel showed that the parties were even at 25%.
According to polls, the Social Democrats saw significant improvements in comparison to earlier this year and the Union bloc saw a sharp decline. Klingbeil stated that the party now has the "mission to form a alliance" and that its top candidate Olaf Scholz will be the chancellor.
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BERLIN - Angela Merkel, the general secretary of Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel's Union bloc, said that early exit polls were "hurt", as the party saw its worst result since 1949.
Different exit polls have placed the Union bloc at the neck or just below the center-left Social Democrats. Paul Ziemiak stated on Sunday that his party still wants to "serve the country" and would consider a coalition with Greens and Free Democrats.
After four elections under Merkel, exit polls from public broadcasters ARD/ZDF show that the Union bloc is down by 8-9%. Armin Laschet was her successor and had low approval ratings. Some in the party were unsure if he was the right candidate to be chancellor.
Ziemiak stated that his party was considering "bitter losses" which would need to be analysed.
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BERLIN - Hundreds of people chanted "Olaf! Olaf!" when exit poll results flashed on the TV screens at the party headquarters in Berlin.
Cologne's Renee Roske, cheeringly, said that she had been telling everyone Scholz was the best candidate and that it is now being reflected in exit polls.
Roske, 42 years old, said that she observed that people became more interested in politics after realizing that Merkel was not running again. She also noted that they started to learn about the main candidates.
She stated that people noticed Scholz did "the right things" during the pandemic, and "that's the reason why the SPD is now leading, because Scholz has good character."
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BERLIN - Germany's election authority has made it clear that the votes of center-right candidate for chancellor Armin Laschet will be valid, although they can be seen Sunday when he puts his ballot paper in the ballot box.
German election rules stipulate that ballot papers must be folded so that it is impossible to see who voted. It was not immediately clear if election officials in Laschet’s constituency in Aachen noticed that Laschet's paper had been folded incorrectly. This moment was captured by cameras.
Laschet comes from Angela Merkel, the outgoing German leader.
The election authority, without naming Laschet explicitly, tweeted that "a nationally recognized politician voted for his party as expected." This statement could not be interpreted as an attempt to influence voters.
The law states that if the ballot paper has been folded incorrectly, election officials must issue a new paper. The ballot paper that is incorrectly folded will not be allowed to be screened and it will become invalid. Laschet's paper was put in the ballot box.
