Angela Merkel was elected to a third term as chancellor in a vote in the German lower house of parliament on Tuesday, paving the way for her new "grand coalition" government to be sworn in and formally take power later in the day.
Merkel's conservatives scored their best result in over two decades in a German election on September 22 but were forced into lengthy coalition talks with the rival Social Democrats (SPD), whose members only approved the deal last weekend.
The vote in the Bundestag was a formality as the ruling parties hold an overwhelming majority of the seats. A total of 462 Members of Parliament backed Merkel for chancellor, with 150 voting against and 9 abstaining.
Source: Reuters
