国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Merkels party wins commanding yet lower votes as far-right AfD to debut in parl_时事

国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Merkels party wins commanding yet lower votes as far-right AfD to debut in parl

For his part, Schulz said the election marked a "historic crash" for the SPD. But Thomas Oppermana, a senior official of the party, said Schulz will continue to be the president of the party despite the "crash" and led the renovation of the party.

According to local media ARD, Schulz said his party had no intention to form a coalition government with the conservative union and "will go to the opposite".

He said his party is a "strong bulwark" against would-be lawmakers from the right-wing AfD.

"We are a strong bulwark against the enemies of democracy that we now have in parliament," Schulz said in a television interview.

He referred to the AfD's result as "depressing," saying that widespread fears about the refugee crisis had fuelled support for the right-wing party.

"This is a turning point," said Schulz. "It's clear that the decision to welcome refugees has divided our society. What is a great act of humanity to some seems threatening to others. We didn't manage to convince people that Germany is strong enough to leave no one behind."

Lisa Price, official of SPD's state commission in Brandenburg, told Xinhua that refusing the grand coalition (CDU/CSU plus SPD) is SPD's victory, because "SPD will finally have the opportunity to prove itself."

"Staying out the grand coalition will make SPD more distinctive and could focus on such issues as the interests of the low-income groups as an opposition party," she told Xinhua.