BERLIN (AP) — Germany's economy minister said Friday that he hopes to become his Green Party's candidate for chancellor in the upcoming election.
The announcement by Robert Habeck, who is also vice chancellor, follows the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition on Wednesday.
The Greens are a small party that lost popularity in recent elections and whose support currently hovers around 10%. Germany’s opposition center-right is leading in the polls.
It is therefore unlikely that Habeck could end up as the country's leader. His move, however, indicates how German politicians are gearing up for an early election after the collapse of the coalition.
“I am applying as a candidate for the Greens, for the people of Germany,” Habeck said in a video posted on X. “If you want, also as chancellor. But that is not my decision, that is your decision. Only you can decide that.”
Scholz indicated plans for a timeline that could bring an early election by late March — before the vote that is regularly scheduled for September 2025.
However, the opposition is calling for an immediate confidence vote in the parliament to speed that up. Industry leaders are also among those saying that Germany needs a stable government in place soon, as the economy struggles and as Europe prepares for a change of leadership in the United States.
Scholz on Friday said that he's willing to talk about the timing of a vote of confidence and the subsequent new election. He said consultations were taking place with stakeholders, including groups in the German Bundestag and constitutional bodies, in order “to take into account what the others think and mean.”
“I believe that we will soon achieve good results, at least that would be my hope," he said on the sidelines of a meeting in Budapest.
Habeck hopes to be nominated at a party conference in Wiesbaden next week. He doesn't appear to have serious contenders after Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced this summer that she didn't want to pursue a candidacy for chancellor.
Germany has been governed since 2021 by a coalition led by Scholz's Social Democrats and which included the smaller pro-business Free Democrats and the environmental Greens.
It has been an uneasy and fractious alliance, and it collapsed Wednesday when Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the Free Democrats in a late-night move following disagreements over how to revive the shrinking economy.
Scholz said that he hoped to lead the country with a minority government and call for an confidence vote in parliament in mid-January.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck speaks during a statement after the break-up of the Ampel coalition, in Berlin, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Soeren Stache/dpa via AP)
German Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck, left, talks to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, during a meeting of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Nov. 7, 20024. (Christophe Gateau/dpa via AP)
German Vice Chancellor and Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck, center, attends the parliamentary group meeting of the Greens in the Bundestag, in Berlin, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Michael Kappeler/dpa via AP)
German Vice Chancellor and Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck, left, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbocka brief the media after a meeting of German government leaders at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Votes will have to be redistributed under Maine’s ranked choice system to determine the winner of a key congressional race, election officials said.
The process was beginning with the support of Republican Austin Theriault's campaign on Friday, despite Democratic Rep. Jared Golden's claim that he already won reelection outright, without the need for additional tabulations.
The matchup between Golden and Theriault in Maine's 2nd Congressional District was one of a handful of pivotal races still without a declared winner, with control of the U.S. House of Representatives at stake.
The two candidates were both just below 49%, with Golden holding a slight edge of about 2,000 votes, according to figures released Thursday night by the Maine Department of the Secretary of State. At this point, Maine's winner won't be announced until next week.
Under ranked voting, if no candidate achieves a majority on the first round, the lesser choices of the last-place finisher’s supporters are reallocated to establish a majority. Golden and Theriault were the only candidates on the ballot, but Diana Merenda of Surry, who ran an organized write-in candidacy, received several hundred votes. The second choices of any voters who left their first choice blank also will be counted.
Hundreds of votes for people other than Merenda, the declared write-in, will be treated as blanks. Any blank ballots with no second choice also will be removed from the total, bringing Golden and Theriault closer to a head-to-head count.
The Associated Press has not declared a winner in the race. Now that won’t happen until next week, after the ballots from all of the district's many cities and towns are transported to the state capital and re-scanned into a computer in a centralized location.
The initial count was so close that Theriault already took the step of requesting a recount, but Theriault’s campaign signaled Friday that it was supportive of the ranked count.
“There is a process in place and we look forward to the process unfolding according to the law,” Theriault campaign manager Shawn Roderick said.
Golden, who had declared victory on Wednesday after some news organizations reported that he had won, insisted that the ranked choice process isn't necessary.
“The rules are clear: A ranked-choice run-off is required only if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes. When the clerks reported returns on Tuesday, Congressman Golden was the candidate who received more than 50 percent of first-choice votes. Voters have a right to see elections decided both accurately and expediently,” his campaign said.
Maine has no mandatory recounts, even in close elections. But the state does allow candidates to request a recount. The state does not require a deposit for a recount if the margin of victory is 1% or less in congressional races.
The thin margin came in an election in which Republican Donald Trump won the 2nd District, allowing him to collect one of Maine's four electoral votes. Maine is one of two states that split electoral votes.
During the campaign, Golden touted his ability to work with members of either political party along with his advocacy on behalf of the lobster industry, which is the lifeblood of the region’s economy.
Theriault, who was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2022, spent much of the campaign portraying Golden as too liberal for the district. Although Theriault had the backing of Trump, he also attempted to portray himself as a potential uniter during a divided time in Washington.
People cast their votes on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Pownal, Maine. (AP Photo/Joel Page)
Lt. Wayne Clifford stands outside a polling location on Election Day, at the Green Ladle, High School Campus, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Joel Page)
Voters fill out their ballots on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. (AP Photo/Joel Page)
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, walks down a hallway before addressing the media Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 6, 2024, during a press conference at his campaign office in Lewiston, Maine. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP)
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, gestures as he walks to the podium to address the media Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 6, 2024, during a press conference at his campaign office in Lewiston, Maine. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP)
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, fields a question from the media Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 6, 2024, during a press conference at his campaign office in Lewiston, Maine. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP)
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, addresses the media Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 6, 2024, during a press conference at his campaign office in Lewiston, Maine. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP)
Republican congressional candidate Austin Theriault, center, poses for a photo with supporters Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 outside the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. (AP Photo/Joel Page)
Republican congressional candidate Austin Theriault, right speaks with Carlos Kennelly, left, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 outside the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. (AP Photo/Joel Page)
A person submits his ballot on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Joel Page)
Ranked voting will determine the winner of Maine's 2nd Congressional District
Voters fill out their ballots on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. (AP Photo/Joel Page)
Ranked voting will determine the winner of Maine's 2nd Congressional District
