German lawmakers elected Social Democrat Olaf Scholz as new chancellor on Wednesday, ending 16 years of conservative rule under Angela Merkel and paving the way for a pro-European coalition government which has vowed to boost green investment.
A total of 395 MPs in the Bundestag voted for Scholz, 63, a former mayor of Hamburg who served as finance minister in the outgoing government. Scholz needed a minimum of 369 votes — an absolute majority of all Bundestag seats — to be elected.
In accordance with the German constitution, Scholz will be officially named chancellor by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He is expected to take his oath of office in the Bundestag at noon.
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