German general election begins

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder cast his ballot at a polling station in Hanover on Sept. 18, 2005. German voters on Sunday cast their ballots to elect the members of the parliament's lower chamber, the Bundestag.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his wife Doris Schroeder-Koepf cast their ballots at a polling station in Hanover on Sept. 18, 2005.

Angela Merkel, chairman of Germany's Christian Democratic Union, casts her ballot at a polling station in Berlin Sept. 18, 2005. German voters on Sunday cast their ballots to elect the members of the parliament's lower chamber, the Bundestag.

A woman voter prepares to cast her ballot at a polling station in Berlin on Sept. 18, 2005.

A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Berlin on Sept. 18, 2005.