The defeated Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet described the election of Olaf Scholz (SPD) as the new Federal Chancellor as a “democratic conclusion to an intense competition”.

"Even if we fought for a different result, we can be happy that the respect among democrats is so strong in our country," wrote Laschet, who is currently still head of the CDU, on Twitter on Wednesday.

"We have to preserve this."

After Scholz's election in the Bundestag, Laschet was one of Scholz's first well-wishers. After his defeat in the federal election at the end of September, Laschet initially hesitated to congratulate Scholz. It was not until the Wednesday after election Sunday that Scholz received congratulations from the unsuccessful Union candidate - by letter.

The congratulations to Scholz from his party are less surprising.

The SPD state chief in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig congratulated her party colleague on the election and wrote on Twitter: “What a wonderful moment”.

Like other state leaders, Schwesig was present in the election of Scholz in the Bundestag and had personally congratulated him.

A photo shows both of them in a warm embrace.

"Good luck and a lucky hand for our country.

I look forward to working together for the benefit of our citizens, ”she wrote on Twitter.

Müller: "Protecting people's health"

The Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD) praised Scholz in her congratulations as a "devoted politician".

"He listens to the people, enters into a dialogue with them and has a very clear idea of ​​how he wants to shape this country," said Dreyer.

Berlin's Governing Mayor Michael Müller (also SPD) said: “Scholz takes over the office of Federal Chancellor in difficult times.

The new federal government must devote itself to fighting the pandemic and its consequences as a matter of urgency. ”That will continue to demand a lot from politics and society.

"Many measures are already well under way, I am confident that Chancellor Scholz and his cabinet will do everything to protect people's health and to absorb the consequences of the pandemic," said the SPD politician.

Congratulations also came from abroad, for example from Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj and Latvia's Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins.

According to the Kremlin, Putin wrote in a telegram to Scholz: “I expect to enter into a constructive dialogue with you and work together on current issues on the bilateral and international agenda.” Macron wrote on Twitter: “We will write the next chapter together .

For the French, for the Germans, for the Europeans. "

Von der Leyen: "Further trusting cooperation"

Leading European politicians also congratulated Scholz. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on the short message service Twitter on Wednesday that she was looking forward to “further trusting cooperation for a strong Europe”. The former Federal Defense Minister knows Scholz from the Berlin cabinet, which she left in 2019 for the top post in Brussels.

Congratulations also came from the European Parliament: Parliament President David Sassoli wished Scholz and the Ampel-Coalition on Twitter "good luck and a lucky hand in coping with the great tasks facing Germany and Europe".

The chairman of the conservative EPP parliamentary group, Manfred Weber (CSU), also wished Scholz and the new federal government a “happy hand”.

He stressed on Twitter: “The EU must stay on course.

This requires cohesion, courageous ideas for the future and closeness to the citizen. "

EU Council President Charles Michel declared that he wanted to work together with Scholz "for a strong and sovereign Europe".

Michel also thanked ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) for "many years of trusting cooperation".

Bätzing: "Get in touch soon"

The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the Catholic German Bishops' Conference also congratulated Scholz. She is grateful that the fight against climate change, social cohesion and the protection of refugees are among the central concerns of the new federal government, wrote EKD Council Chairman Annette Kurschus in her letter of congratulations to Scholz, which the EKD published on Wednesday. These subjects are also very dear to the heart of the Church.

The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, thanked the fact that the coalition agreement recognized the commitment of the churches.

"Certainly there will be many socially relevant topics about which we should start talking soon," wrote Bätzing according to a message from the Bishops' Conference on Wednesday in Bonn.

The common goal will be "to keep an eye on the people when facing the challenges ahead and to shape the living conditions in our country on a value-based foundation".

Scholz was elected and sworn in as Federal Chancellor in the Bundestag that morning.

Scholz was baptized as a Protestant, but left the church.

When he was sworn in in the Bundestag, the Social Democrat renounced the addition “So help me God” - the so-called God's formula.