German Chancellor Angela Merkel narrowly confirmed by parliament to her fourth and likely final term
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.
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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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