Germany: Vice-Chancellor thanks everyone that did not vote right-wing

German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel thanked “everyone who did not vote right-wing populists” as members and supporters of the Social Democrats (SPD) gathered after Berlin’s parliamentary elections on Sunday.
For the first time in Berlin’s history the city could get a left-wing triple coalition government, as the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) remain the largest party with 22.8 percent of the votes and the Green party, as well as Die Linke are both in third place with 16.7 percent and 16.2 percent while Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party only polled 17.8 percent in the elections.
In his speech Gabriel praised the people, “who stand behind this democracy with no ifs and buts” , adding he wanted to “say thank you” to them. Berlin’s Mayor Michael Mueller also addressed the audience, saying that everyone is “annoyed together about the AFD result”, but emphasized that the election results show, that the capital city wants to be “international, cosmopolitan and tolerant”.
Germany’s anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany (AFD) polled at 12.2 percent, which is lower than they had hoped, but still grants them entry into state parliament for the first time.