Once again the liberal party loses but claims that the winner doesn't have a "mandate." Of course the press plays along. You can bet that had the election put Schroder ahead by the slimmest of margins, the press would have declared him "the clear winner." Talk about Bush/Gore all over again! Liberals are the same across the world . . .
I disagree with your take. The margin between the two big parties is around 1% or maybe even less. Hardly a clear mandate for Merkel. And don't you believe that the German media give Schröder an easy ride.
They're not liberals, but social democrats. The liberals (FDP) won big time, but will be in opposition. The Greens and the Left party will be out of power too. So no more Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, unless by some slim chance the CDU and the FDP ally with the Greens - theoretically possible, but unrealistic at least at the present.