Baerbel Bas (front center) is applauded after being elected as new president of the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) on October 26, 2021, during a constituent session of Germany's new parliament at the Bundestag in Berlin. Delegates of the Bundestag will sit for the first time following the September elections, ushering in a post-Merkel era that is more female, younger and more ethnically diverse Photo: AFP