Four more years: Merkel re-elected

[Zanza]

Angela Merkel celebrates after German election

Angela Merkel has urged her party to celebrate "a super result" after exit polls suggested she was set to win a third term as German chancellor.

Her Christian Democrats took about 42% of the vote, according to exit polls.

But Mrs Merkel's preferred coalition is at risk, as her Free Democrat partners appear not have secured the 5% needed to enter parliament.

She may, therefore, be forced to seek a grand coalition with the Social Democrats - estimated to have won 26%.

Exit polls for ARD public television put the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) on 4.7%, which if confirmed would be a disaster for the junior coalition partner, leaving it with no national representation in parliament.

Senior party member Christian Lindner called it "the bitterest hour".

The FDP was beaten by the Green Party (8%) and the former communist Left Party (8.5%), and even, according to exit polls, the new Alternative fuer Deutschland, which advocates withdrawal from the euro currency and took 4.9%, just short of the parliamentary threshold.

There was some speculation on German television that the Christian Democrats (CDU) might even win enough seats for an absolute majority - the first in half a century - if both the FDP and AfD fail to make it into parliament.

'Something fantastic'
Mrs Merkel addressed jubilant supporters at CDU headquarters, telling them: "This is a super result."

"We can celebrate tonight because we have done something fantastic."

But, in a reference to coalition building, she said it was "too early to say exactly what we'll do".

"We have a clear mandate from voters to form a government," said Volker Kauder, leader of the CDU's parliamentary group. The outcome showed that "voters want Angela Merkel to remain chancellor" for a third term, he said.

Mrs Merkel has made clear she would be prepared to work with the Social Democrats (SPD) in a grand coalition, as she did in 2005-09.

The SPD has been more reluctant to consider linking up with the CDU again. The party leader, Peer Steinbrueck, was finance minister in the previous grand coalition, but has said he would not serve in such a government again.

After the exit polls were released, but before official results were confirmed, Mr Steinbrueck conceded that it would be up to Mrs Merkel to decide how to proceed saying: "The ball is in Mrs Merkel's court. She has to get herself a majority."

The BBC's Chris Morris, at Social Democrat headquarters, said Mr Steinbrueck was putting a brave face on it but the atmosphere was subdued.

The SPD would have preferred to enter a coalition with the Green Party, but does not appear to have the votes to do so, and has ruled out a three-way alliance including the Left Party (Die Linke).

Analysts think the SPD will probably agree to a coalition with the CDU.

Turnout appeared to be higher than at the last federal election. At 14:00 (12:00 GMT) it measured 41.4% of eligible voters, compared to 36.1% at the same point in 2009.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24197994



The current estimates suggest that Merkel could have just barely won an absolute majority of seats in parliament. That would be the first time since the historic 1957 triumph of Konrad Adenauer that one party can rule without a coalition in Germany.

[Sheilbh]

By far Europe's most impressive leader (at least of the big countries), it's well deserved..

Did her decision to go against nuclear power help kill off the Greens? Because they look like they're having a torrid night.

Edit: And Jenkins' rule continues. The left's biggest problem is its inability to stay united.

[Syt]

Did her decision to go against nuclear power help kill off the Greens? Because they look like they're having a torrid night.

I think it's also in part that in the early 80s, the Greens supported freedom for prosecution for pedophiles (which they put on practically the same level as homosexuals) and that a number of current Green big shots were already actively in the party when it was part of their program.

[Admiral Yi]

Ms. Urkel did a great job of matching the furniture.

[Zanza]

Did her decision to go against nuclear power help kill off the Greens? Because they look like they're having a torrid night.

I think it's also in part that in the early 80s, the Greens supported freedom for prosecution for pedophiles (which they put on practically the same level as homosexuals) and that a number of current Green big shots were already actively in the party when it was part of their program.

Or 49% tax for incomes above 60.000 Euro. They should perhaps have read an analysis of their voter's income before making such a policy statement.

[Zanza]

Did her decision to go against nuclear power help kill off the Greens? Because they look like they're having a torrid night.

It certainly removed an important topic from German politics. People fear nuclear power, but don't really care for coal power or climate change. So the whole renewable energy thing the Greens promote has nowhere near the pull of the anti-nuclear movement.

[Agelastus]

By far Europe's most impressive leader (at least of the big countries), it's well deserved..

Being a giant amid a group of pygmies is not a great achievement.

[Ed Anger]

Did her decision to go against nuclear power help kill off the Greens? Because they look like they're having a torrid night.

I think it's also in part that in the early 80s, the Greens supported freedom for prosecution for pedophiles (which they put on practically the same level as homosexuals) and that a number of current Green big shots were already actively in the party when it was part of their program.

[Legbiter]

By far Europe's most impressive leader (at least of the big countries), it's well deserved.

She's the thinnest kid at Fat Camp, certainly.

[Duque de Bragança]

Did her decision to go against nuclear power help kill off the Greens? Because they look like they're having a torrid night.

I think it's also in part that in the early 80s, the Greens supported freedom for prosecution for pedophiles (which they put on practically the same level as homosexuals) and that a number of current Green big shots were already actively in the party when it was part of their program.

Or 49% tax for incomes above 60.000 Euro. They should perhaps have read an analysis of their voter's income before making such a policy statement.

Last but not least, the vegetarian or even vegan  weeklyday (wtf?) for kids at state school canteens, despite the already widespread vegetarianism in Teutonia.

[Phillip V]

We need more women in power.

[Sheilbh]

I love this:
http://wahl.tagesschau.de/wahlen/2013-09-22-BT-DE/analyse-wanderung.shtml#11_Wanderung_UNION

Interesting how AfD did pretty well at attracting votes from left and right. Also I'd love to speak to one of the people who went FDP-Left

[Capetan Mihali]

I love the politicians' comments, they seem so perfectly German.  I can just hear Merkel's intonation of "super."  And all the pathos summoned up in "the bitterest hour."

[Syt]

The FDP is not in parliament for the first time in post-war Germany. It's not surprising; over the past decades it had become little more than an annex of the CDU on a federal level and, since the 90s, ruled out coalitions with anyone else.

It looked for a while as if Merkel might gain more than half the seats in parliament, but it turns out she's 5 shy. She can now pick her coalition partner from Greens or SPD (with the SPD being much more likely), though I guess theoretically a minority government might work just as well.

[jimmy olsen]

I love the politicians' comments, they seem so perfectly German.  I can just hear Merkel's intonation of "super."  And all the pathos summoned up in "the bitterest hour."

Uber!