Four German political parties are positioning themselves to enter coalition talks on Monday, just hours after a final vote count showed a narrow victory for the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) over the country’s incumbent conservative alliance.

The SPD captured 25.7 per cent, its best result in years, while the conservative CDU/CSU bloc of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel fell to a record low of 24.1 per cent after her four consecutive terms in office.

Both main candidates to be the next German chancellor, Olaf Scholz of the SPD and Armin Laschet of the Christian Democrats (CDU), said they wanted to form the next government.

Mr Scholz has a better chance of doing so, but the German constitution did not provide for the party with the second-largest vote share to head a government.

Two other political parties were the potential kingmakers, the environmentalist Greens and the pro-business which took 14.8 per cent and 11.5 per cent, respectively.

To avoid another grand coalition like the one currently governing with Merkel at the helm, the CDU/CSU and the SPD would have to convince both the Greens and the FDP, which have very different political agendas, to join them in a three-way coalition.

The next cabinet would be the first in 16 years, not led by Merkel.

The transition, which could take weeks or even months, was a historical one.

(dpa/NAN)