Germany voted.
Now it is up to the decision-makers in the parties to form a government coalition.
The FDP has a special role to play in this.
All developments in the ticker.
The SPD emerged victorious from the Bundestag election (25.7 percent);
Union (24.1 percent), Greens (14.8 percent) and FDP (11.5 percent) follow.
Forming a government could take a long time.
The FDP can take on the role of "kingmaker".
This coalition news ticker is continuously updated.
Berlin - The polling stations are closed, the votes are counted, the preliminary result announced by the Federal Returning Officer.
One thing is certain: the SPD won the general election with 25.7 percent of the second vote, while the Union achieved the worst result in its history with a share of 24.1 percent.
It is unlikely that the two government factions will again form a “grand coalition” over the past four years.
It is therefore all the more important to look at the remaining parties that are celebrating their entry into the Bundestag.
Forming a government may take time.
There are first attempts at rapprochement between the Greens and the FDP.
Bundestag election: Greens and FDP announce first talks
The FDP can play a decisive role in forming a coalition.
With 11.5 percent of the second vote, the Liberals are the fourth strongest force in the Bundestag, and participation in the government cannot be ruled out.
The domestic political spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Konstantin Kuhle, considers preliminary coalition talks with the Greens to be a good idea.
"We see that yesterday a new chapter began for the party system in Germany: The Greens and the FDP together achieve more percent than the Union and the SPD," said the FDP politician in the ARD "Morgenmagazin".
Although there are “fundamental differences” between the FDP and the Greens, respect for one another has grown in the last legislative period.
Bundestag election: "Jamaica Alliance" preferred by FPD, critical words about "traffic lights"
There are also positive signals from the Greens. "It will first be spoken in a very small circle between the FDP and the Greens," said the Greens parliamentary group leader Anton Hofreiter in the ARD "Morgenmagazin". "There you will see: What are the similarities, but what does the other side need so that it can work." Especially in climate and financial policy, the ideas of the FDP and the Greens diverge widely. In a “Jamaica alliance” between the Union, the Greens and the FDP, however, the parties would have to come to terms with one another.
The domestic political spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Konstantin Kuhle, is critical of a so-called “traffic light” from the SPD, Greens and FDP.
“Jamaica is more likely with yesterday than in the three weeks before,” said Kuhle after the election in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”.
It had previously become apparent that the SPD would be “very clearly ahead”, but with the current performance of the CDU, the two parties would be close, said the FDP politician.
Coalition after the federal election: “Jamaica” will burst in 2017 - and 2021?
It is now "a very good idea" that the Greens and the FDP get together first to consider what form of modernization is possible in Germany.
In 2017, FDP leader Christian Lindner broke negotiations on a “Jamaica” coalition.
At that time, the liberals saw their demands being ignored.
The next days and weeks will show whether 2017 will repeat itself.