Merkel wins fourth term, nationalists surge

BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc won a lacklustre victory in Germany’s national election Sunday while the antimigrant, nationalist Alternative for Germany party managed a triumphant entry into parliament.

Merkel’s main centre-left rivals, the Social Democrats, slid to their worst result since the Second World War, projections showed. The party, led by Merkel’s challenger Martin Schulz, vowed immediately to leave her coalition government and go into opposition.

The outcome puts Merkel on course for a fourth term as chancellor — but means that she likely faces the tricky task of forming a new coalition government with two new partners. Merkel acknowledged that it would take time, but said that “we live in stormy times” and other parties should show responsibility.”

Projections showed Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and their Bavaria-only allies, the Christian Social Union, winning around 33 per cent of the vote — down from 41.5 per cent four years ago. It was one of their weakest postwar showings.

Schulz’s Social Democrats were trailing far behind, with just under 21 per cent support. That would be the worst postwar for the party, which has served since 2013 as the junior partner in a “grand coalition” under Merkel.

Smaller parties were the chief beneficiaries of the erosion in support for Germany’s traditionally dominant parties — above all the right-wing Alternative for Germany or AfD. It capitalized on discontent with established politicians but particularly targeted those angry over the influx of mostly Muslim migrants.