Germany's centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) are edging towards election victory, as projected results look increasingly bleak for the party of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Ms Merkel's successor, Armin Laschet, is still vowing to form a government, but his conservative CDU party has seen its worst performance in history.

The SPD currently leads by a small margin, but results are not yet final.

Their leader Olaf Scholz says his party has a clear mandate to rule.

Exit polls predicted a dead heat, but this election has been unpredictable from the start, and the result was never going to be the end of the story. For one thing, the outgoing chancellor is going nowhere until a coalition is formed - and that may have to wait until Christmas.

Armin Laschet is vowing to form a government, despite presiding over the CDU's worst performance in history.

The results are not yet final and the margin is small, but the centre-left SPD could be closing in on victory.

SPD leader Olaf Scholz said his party had a clear mandate to rule.

Exit polls predicted a dead heat, but this election has been unpredictable from start to finish and the result was never going to be the end of the story. For one thing, the outgoing chancellor is going nowhere until a coalition is formed - and that may have to wait until Christmas.

Her successor's task is to lead Europe's foremost economy over the next four years, with climate change at the top of voters' agenda.

Mr Scholz's SPD supporters greeted him in raptures, but it was only later when his party edged into the lead that he told a televised audience the voters had given him the task of forming a "good, pragmatic government for Germany".