Germany election: Merkel wins fourth term, exit polls say

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been re-elected for a fourth term in federal elections, exit polls suggest.

Her conservative CDU/CSU alliance has won 32.5% of the vote, remaining the largest party in Germany's parliament, according to the ARD poll.

Its coalition partner, the social democratic SPD, has gained 20%.

Meanwhile, the AfD, a right-wing nationalist, anti-Islam party, was on track to win 13.5%, emerging as Germany's third-strongest party.

Addressing supporters, Mrs Merkel said she hoped for a "better result" and talked about "extraordinary challenges".

She added that she would listen to the "concerns and anxieties" of AfD voters in other to regain them.

                                                              (Chancellor Merkel has won a fourth term, but will need new coalition partners)

The numbers mean that the SPD, led by Martin Schulz, has fallen to a new post-World War Two low.

Mr Schulz said the result was the end of the "grand coalition" with Mrs Merkel's alliance.

...[ Continue to next page ]