According to report reaching oyogist.com, Olaf Scholz became Germany’s new chancellor on Wednesday after 16 years with Angela Merkel at the helm, pledging his center-left-led coalition would offer a “new beginning” for Europe’s top economy.
Scholz was officially named the country’s ninth post-war leader by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who urged him to “ensure that the pandemic does not keep us firmly in its grip for another year” as a fourth wave of the coronavirus outbreak rages.
The former finance minister, who won 395 of the 707 votes cast in the Bundestag lower house, has vowed broad “continuity” with the popular Merkel while making Germany greener and fairer.
“It will be a new beginning for our country,” Scholz pledged as he officially assumed the office from Merkel and thanked her for her lengthy tenure.
“I will do everything to work towards that.”
Merkel wished Scholz luck as chancellor, urging him to “take this office and work in the best interest of our country”.
She then left office by motorcade for the last time as her staff looked on, applauding.
Scholz led his Social Democrats from a deep poll deficit to victory in the September 26 election.
The 63-year-old, who turned emulating Merkel in style and substance into a winning strategy, forged Germany’s first national “traffic light” coalition with the ecologist Greens and the liberal Free Democrats, nicknamed after the parties’ colours.
