Merkel secures fourth term as German Chancellor

Germany's Parliament has also given Merkel the green light for a mandate as the country's leader. Merkel's conservatives will rule the country with the Social Democrats, considered the major coalition. But the margin of votes was too narrow. Only nine votes.

Merkel's election from the German parliament's lower house, Bundestag, ends 171 days of waiting after Germany's national general elections, held on 24 September 2017.

Merkel was elected by the votes of the deputies of conservative CDU-CSU parties and the Social Democrats coalition (SPD).

In all, 364 MPs voted in favour of Merkel, while 315 voted against her, 9 have abstained, and another 21 have been missing or their vote has been invalid, reports “DW” Transmission Periscope.

After the vote, Merkel will head the Bellevue Palace in Berlin to swear before German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Merkel's conservatives had won the elections by 33%, leaving the Social Democrats behind by 20.5%. But both parties declined significantly in 2013, as the right-wing Alternative party for Germany ( The AfD had won 12, 6 % of the vote.

Merkel had tried to establish the government with the centre-right parties of the Free Democrats and the Greens, but efforts had failed. But it was successful in reaching an agreement with the Social Democrats after weeks of negotiations.

The 63-year-old has already secured the fourth term as German Chancellor.

“A true slap we would have received if we had failed to get a majority,” said Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer of the conservative bavarese party CSU, for German television./Periscopi/