The German elections have increased the chance that Angela Merkel will soon be able to call herself the longest-serving chancellor since the Second World War.
The 67-year-old politician does not want a new term in office but will remain in office for a while until a new government can be formed.
Merkel has to stay on until mid-December to take over the title from her party colleague Helmut Kohl. According to German media, he was in power for 5869 days in the 1980s and 1990s. Merkel already surpassed Konrad Adenauer in 2019. He reigned as the first chancellor for 5,143 days after World War II.
It was previously considered unlikely that Merkel would match Kohl’s record, as she did not want to become chancellor again after 16 years in power and four terms in office. In the meantime, protracted negotiations about who will form the next government are being taken into account. Those can take months.