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The new Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Bundestag
Photo: Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images
After his election as the new Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholz (SPD) swore the oath of office in the Bundestag.
Previously, during a visit to Bellevue Palace, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had appointed Scholz as the new head of government.
With the oath, Scholz has now officially replaced his predecessor Angela Merkel (CDU) after 16 years in the Chancellery.
In the afternoon the handover takes place between the two of them.
The formula of the oath is laid down in Article 56 of the Basic Law: “I swear that I will devote my energies to the welfare of the German people, to increase their benefits, to prevent them from harm, to uphold and defend the Basic Law and the laws of the Federation, and to conscientiously defend my duties meet and do justice to everyone.
So help me God. "
However, officials are free to waive the addition “So help me God”.
Scholz did not speak the religious formula.
He was baptized a Protestant but later left the church.
Before him, Gerhard Schröder was the only Chancellor in the history of the Federal Republic to have renounced the addition of God.
Scholz was elected with 395 votes in the Bundestag that morning.
A total of 369 votes were required for an absolute majority in parliament.
A total of 707 of the total of 736 MPs had cast their vote, there were 303 votes against, six abstentions and three invalid votes.
The SPD, FDP and the Greens together have 416 votes, so Scholz received 21 votes fewer than the number of seats in the traffic light camp.
A total of 29 MPs were absent from the election due to illness.
The ninth Chancellor of the Federal Republic wants to lead Germany for the first time with a three-party alliance made up of the SPD, FDP and the Greens.
The members of the first traffic light coalition signed their coalition agreement on Tuesday.
Scholz becomes the fourth SPD chancellor after Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt and Schröder.
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