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Angela Merkel wins fourth term as nationalists enter German parliament

Centre-left challenger Martin Schulz conceded his Social Democrats had suffered a “crushing” defeat.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel smiles after the German parliament election

German chancellor Angela Merkel has won a fourth term, but now faces the tricky prospect of forming a coalition with two disparate new partners after voters weakened her conservatives and a nationalist, anti-migrant party surged into parliament.

Mrs Merkel’s centre-left challenger, Martin Schulz, conceded his Social Democrats had suffered a “crushing election defeat”, with projections showing the party’s worst performance in post-Second World War Germany.

“We have a mandate to form a new government, and no government can be formed against us,” Mrs Merkel told cheering supporters. She added that it was not a “matter of course” to finish first after 12 years in power, and that the past four years were “extremely challenging”.

German election official preliminary result graphic
(PA Graphics)

Stressing that “we live in stormy times” internationally, she declared: “I have the intention of achieving a stable government in Germany.”

The biggest winner was the four-year-old Alternative for Germany (AfD). It finished third after a campaign that centred on shrill criticism of Mrs Merkel and her decision in 2015 to allow large numbers of migrants into Germany, but also harnessed wider discontent with established politicians.

One of AfD’s leaders, Alice Weidel, said it will provide “constructive opposition”. But co-leader Alexander Gauland struck a harsher tone, vowing that “we will take our country back” and promising to “chase” Mrs Merkel.

Final results showed Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and their Bavaria-only allies, the Christian Social Union, winning 33% of the vote – down from 41.5% four years ago.

Mr Schulz’s Social Democrats were trailing far behind, with 20.5% support, down from 25.7% in 2013 and undercutting their previous post-war low of 23% eight years ago.

Martin Schulz
Martin Schulz’s Social Democratic Party was second (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

AfD won 12.6% of the vote. It was followed by the election’s other big winner – the pro-business Free Democratic Party, which returned to parliament after a four-year break with 10.7%.

The Left Party took 9.2% of the vote, coming slightly ahead of the traditionally left-leaning Greens who won 8.9%, completing a parliament that now has six caucuses rather than the previous four.

All mainstream parties have ruled out working with AfD and Mrs Merkel’s conservatives will not form a coalition with the Left Party. That means two politically plausible governments are mathematically feasible: continuing the “grand coalition” or a combination of Mrs Merkel’s Union bloc, the Free Democrats and Greens.

Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel
AfD co-leaders Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel celebrate their result (Martin Meissner/AP)

That alliance is known as a “Jamaica” coalition because the parties’ colours match those of the Caribbean nation’s flag.

The Social Democrats were adamant on Sunday night that they would not continue to serve under Mrs Merkel. “It is completely clear that the role the voters have given us is as the opposition,” Mr Schulz said.

Referring to AfD’s third-place finish, he said “there cannot be a far-right party leading the opposition in Germany”.

Alexander Gauland
AfD co-leader Alexander Gauland hailed the result as a ‘great day’ for his party (Daniel Karmann/dpa via AP)

The Social Democrats were adamant on Sunday night that they would not continue to serve under Ms Merkel. “It is completely clear that the role the voters have given us is as the opposition,” Mr Schulz said.

Referring to AfD’s third-place finish, he said “there cannot be a far-right party leading the opposition in Germany.”

Reiner Haseloff, the conservative governor of eastern Saxony-Anhalt state, said it would be wrong to ignore AfD’s strong result.

Angekla Merkel
Mrs Merkel will probably try to create an untried coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats and Greens (Michael Sohn/AP)

“We need an answer – there must be no democratic alternative to our right,” he added. “As long as it is there, we haven’t completely done our homework.”

AfD is the first party to the right of the conservatives to enter parliament in 60 years.

Hundreds of demonstrators descended upon the club where the nationalist party’s leaders were celebrating their third-place finish.

Several protesters threw bottles as police kept them away from the building in Berlin.

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