SCHOLZ TAKES OVER AS GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ENDING MERKEL ERA

Social Democrat Olaf Scholz was sworn in as German chancellor on Wednesday, ending Angela Merkel’s 16 years of conservative rule and paving the way for his coalition government that has promised to boost green investment and strengthen European unity.

Scholz, 63, who over the past four years served as vice chancellor and finance minister in coalition with Merkel, won a majority of 395 votes from lawmakers in the lower house of parliament, Bundestag President Baerbel Bas said.

After being formally nominated by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the nearby Bellevue Palace, Scholz returned to the historic Reichstag building in the heart of the German capital to take the oath of office in front of lawmakers and become Germany’s ninth chancellor since the end of World War Two. Scholz swore to devote his energies to the welfare of the German people - but he did not ask for God’s help, a phrase that is usually included in the oath of office and was spoken by Merkel.

In the afternoon, Merkel officially handed over the chancellery to Scholz and wished him a “steady hand” as the country faces a brutal fourth wave of coronavirus infections and challenges to its democratic order from authoritarian leaders. In a short speech, Scholz hailed Merkel as a great chancellor and thanked her for a close and trustful relationship over the past years.

“I would like to build on the north-east German mentality, if I may say so, that has reigned here so far. Not much will change it this regard,” Scholz said in reference to their shared northern roots in the port city of Hamburg. BERLIN, DEC 8 (REUTERS)