Angela Merkel elected to 4th term as German chancellor

German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes the oath of office in front of Parliament President Wolfgang Schaeuble. Pic/AFP

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, bruised by half a year of post-election coalition haggling, was narrowly confirmed by parliament to her fourth and likely final term at the helm of Europe's biggest economy. Lawmakers in Berlin's glass-domed Reichstag voted 364-315 with nine abstentions for Merkel, who was then formally appointed by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before taking the oath of office.

The outcome of the secret ballot suggested 35 lawmakers of her new right-left coalition bloc voted against Merkel, giving her a thin nine-vote margin that opposition parties were quick to label a "rocky start" for a spent and joyless governing alliance. For the veteran leader, the ceremony marked the end of a painful stretch of post-election paralysis, the deepest crisis of her 12-year career.

A right-wing populist rise in September elections weakened all mainstream parties and deprived Merkel of a majority, forcing her into another unhappy alliance with the centre-left Social Democratic Party. All coalition partners have sought to allay fears that their marriage of convenience could break up mid-term, insisting they plan to jointly govern until 2021.

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