After a tight election, Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats come out just in front

THE ATRIUM of the Willy Brandt House, the Berlin headquarters of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), erupted in cheers on the evening of September 26th, as an exit poll suggested that the centre-left party had a narrow lead in Germany’s national election. Preliminary official published the next morning made clear that , the SPD’s candidate to replace , had secured an early edge. They gave the SPD 25.7% of the vote, ahead of the conservative Christian Democrats and their Bavarian ally, the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU), on 24.1%.