Clare Murphy BBC News Online, Berlin

Bitter disappointment and muted jubilation converged on the streets of a cold and wet Berlin on Monday morning, the morning after the country's tightest post-war election campaign.

	Read Clare Murphy's campaign reports Apathetic youth Bavaria factor Immigrant vote Disappointed east Women's vote Heartland battle

It was a night of intense emotions and frustrations, with both sides proclaiming victory after provisional results, only to see their lead snatched away from them.

And then in the early hours of the morning, the truth.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD) may have slipped since the 1998 poll, but the performance of their junior coalition partner, the Greens, was sufficient to give them a wafer-thin majority in parliament.

The charming chancellor had hung on to his job. The conservative leader Edmund Stoiber would not be bringing Bavaria to Berlin.

Petra: "Schroeder deserved another chance"

"I am very disappointed indeed," said Dieter Meyer, a project manager on his way to work.

"Mr Schroeder is nothing but a showman - Mr Stoiber could have really led the country into better times. And that's what we needed."

Click here to see past results for the two main parties

SPD supporters, meanwhile, were in no doubt that the party owed its return to the electoral success of its coalition partner, the Green Party, whose leader Joschka Fischer is seen as one of Germany's most popular politicians.

"They saved the day," said Petra, an insurance saleswoman. "Schroeder deserved another chance - although he has made some mistakes - but he would not have been able to do it without the Greens."

Concern for the future

But there was tangible concern about the tiny majority of the next government in parliament - just nine seats.

Jens: "Red and Green are really going to have to close ranks in parliament"

"I just hope it doesn't hinder the government too much from pushing things through, because there's a lot that needs doing," said Jens, a computer analyst.

"Red and Green are really going to have to close ranks in parliament, otherwise it could be a real deadlock."

Mr Schroeder has a real task ahead of him with such a small lead in parliament and major reforms to push through in order to reboot Germany's ailing economy.

"We have difficult times ahead," declared the chancellor, as his victory was sealed. But he had a smile on his face.

Wrong move

And it is that cheeky grin which is rattling conservative voters, who are busy laying part of the blame for Sunday's disappointment on the poor performance of party's natural coalition partners, the neo-liberal Free Democrat Party.

The small party was dogged by allegations of anti-Semitism in the run-up to Sunday's vote, sparked by the decision of its deputy leader Juergen Moellemann to attack the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

It was a contentious move in a country that still has immense problems with any criticism of Israel.

"I wish he hadn't done it. There were problems anyway with the leadership of the FDP, but the Moellemann issue really sealed it," said Sabine Tuck, a saleswoman.

"It's hard not to feel incredibly bitter. We were so close, and now it's been taken away."