Germany’s Social Democrats push for quick coalition after narrow election win

Social Democratic candidate for chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks at party headquarters in Berlin (Wolfgang Kumm/dpa via AP)

The party that narrowly beat outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc was pushing for a quick agreement on a coalition government amid concerns that Europe’s biggest economy could experience weeks of uncertainty after an election that failed to set a clear direction.

Olaf Scholz, the candidate for the centre-left Social Democrats, called for Mrs Merkel’s centre-right Union bloc to go into opposition after it saw its worst-ever result in a national election.