German election a cliffhanger to bitter end

GERMAN Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his conservative challenger Edmund Stoiber ran neck-and-neck last night in one of Germany’ closest post-war elections.

Three polling agencies combining exit polls and early returns showed a slight lead for Mr. Stoiber’s two Christian Democratic parties, with about 39% of votes compared to an estimated 38% for Mr Schroeder’s Social Democrats.

The Greens, in coalition with the Social Democrats for the last four years, were polling at about 9%, which could be decisive in helping Mr Schroeder stay in power.