Chancellor Angela Merkel won a fourth term in office on Sunday but will have to build an uneasy coalition to form a German government after her conservatives haemorrhaged support in the face of a surge by the far-right.
The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) stunned the establishment by winning 13.1 percent of the vote, projected results showed a result that will bring a far-right party into parliament for the first time in more than half a century.
Merkel’s conservative bloc emerged as the largest parliamentary party but, with just 33.2 percent of the vote, saw its support slump to the lowest since 1949 – the first time national elections were held in post-war Germany.
Her main Social Democrat rivals also received their worst result since the 1940s — just 20.8 percent — after nearly half of voters repudiated the two parties that have dominated Germany since World War Two.
With parliament now fragmented, Merkel appears likely to cobble together a tricky three-way coalition with a pro-business group and the Greens.
Merkel said the success of the far right was a test for Germans. It was important to listen to the concerns of their voters and win them back.
“Of course we had hoped for a slightly better result. But we mustn’t forget that we have just completed an extraordinarily challenging legislative period, so I am happy that we reached the strategic goals of our election campaign,” Merkel said.
“We are the strongest party, we have the mandate to build the next government – and there cannot be a coalition government built against us,” Merkel added.
Reuters