Scholz acknowledges defeat, will remain in office until new coalition

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday evening that he would remain in office until the next coalition government is formed, after initial election results showed his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) suffering a historic defeat.

Scholz made it clear that he would leave it to others to work on forming a coalition, which is expected to likely still include the SPD as a junior partner.

"Now it is up to others to find a way to form a government," he said in a brief speech to supporters at his party's headquarters in Berlin.

He vowed to continue carrying out his duties as chancellor "until the last day" in office.

Opposition leader Friedrich Merz is widely expected to replace Scholz as chancellor as his centre-right opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), won a clear victory, according to initial results.

The initial results indicated that even a complex coalition between the SPD and several other smaller parties, including the Greens and The Left, would remain short of the necessary majority, likely foreclosing even a long-shot possibility of Scholz remaining in office for a second term.