German vote deadlocked - Merkel by one seat

Angela Merkel somehow managed to blow a massive lead and ended up with probably one more seat in parliament than Schroeder so at the moment there is a lot of backroom dealing going on at the moment to form a new government. If a "grand coalition" (joining the two major parties) is formed as expected, whoever ends up leading it will be stuck with limited options to make any changes. Schroeder did a great job of campaigning once again this year. If only he could lead the government in such a way instead of just during a campaign.

Both Schroeder and Merkel and claiming mandate (where'd they ever get such an idea?) but that is hardly the reality. The end result is going to be an impossible situation for the next few years with the current problems and challenges sticking around for the near future.