Peter Siegloff. Projections based on partially counted ballots by ZDF TV gave Merkel's CDU/CSU a narrow majority of 35 per cent against 34.2 per cent for the SPD. This would give the CDU/CSU 217 seats in the Bundestag, parliament's lower house, and the SPD 213 seats. But another polling agency put the parties level at 222 seats each. A truculent Schroeder lashed out at what he called "manipulation by the media" in the run-up to the election - which had predicted an easy Merkel victory. Merkel acknowledged what many leading politicians were saying; that forming a working coalition to rule Germany would be difficult. And she expressed regret that she did not have enough votes with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) for a centre-right coalition. --more 2346 Local Time 2046 GMT
