Designated German Chancellor Olaf Scholz listens to designated German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, whose hand is seen at (R), during a press conference where Germany's social democratic SPD party named it's members of the country's future cabinet, on Saint Nicholas' Day, December 6, 2021 at the headquarters of their social democratic SPD party in Berlin. AFP PHOTO
Berlin: Germany's parliament will officially elect Olaf Scholz on Wednesday as the country's next chancellor, bringing the curtain down on Angela Merkel's 16-year reign and ushering in a new political era with the center-left in charge.