German President Hands Merkel Notice About End of Her Term

BERLIN, (Sputnik) - German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday handed outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel a notice about the end of her term.

Steinmeier also handed similar notices to other members of Merkel's government during a ceremony at the Bellevue Palace, the official residence of the president.

Social Democratic Party (SPD) candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Germany's acting Chancellor Angela Merkel hold their 'discharge certificates' at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, October 26, 2021. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

© REUTERS / HANNIBAL HANSCHKE

Earlier in the day, Steinmeier asked Merkel to continue her activities as chancellor until a successor is appointed, the presidential office said. The chancellor attended the first session of a new Bundestag elected on 26 September.

Kanzlerin #Merkel nimmt an der konstituierenden Sitzung des 20. Deutschen Bundestages von der Ehrentribüne aus teil. Mehr Informationen zu den Regelungen beim Übergang zur neuen Regierung unter: https://t.co/Y3D9vjG6LL pic.twitter.com/0OqKsPRVDR

— Steffen Seibert (@RegSprecher) October 26, 2021

So far, talks are continuing between the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democrats (FDP) on how to build a new government coalition. Hence, a new chancellor and a successor to Merkel, who remained in office for 16 years, is yet to be determined. Merkel's Cristian Democratic Union (CDU) and their Bavarian allies Christian Social Union (CSU) were not included in the talks on the planned coalition government after they lost 49 seats or almost 9% in the Bundestag in the September 2021 elections.