Germany in limbo as Merkel and Schroeder claim victory

VOTERS plunged Germany into political limbo last night, splitting their ballots between Angela Merkel’s conservatives and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s Social Democrats so closely that both claimed victory.

Ms Merkel’s party held a narrow lead over Mr Schroeder’s Social Democrats with votes counted from 80% of districts, the election authority said.

Ms Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), had 36.5% of the vote after 241 of 299 districts declared. Mr Schroeder’s Social Democrats (SPD) had 34% and their coalition partner, the Greens, 7.9%.