German Chancellor Angela Merkel has won a fourth national election, affirming the German predilection for stability and the known in its politics. While the election results validated her policies and were widely anticipated, they nevertheless hint at future difficulties for the chancellor. Her immediate task is forging a governing coalition, a job that will likely take some time. Her continued presence at the apex of the German government is much needed at a time of tumult within Europe and around the world.
Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) continues to be the leading party in parliament, winning 33 percent of the vote and capturing 246 of the 709 seats contested, according to tentative results; that is, however, a loss of nearly 10 percentage points compared with the last ballot in 2013.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) held on to second place with just 153 seats. Third place was claimed by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (its German initials are AfD), which enters parliament for the first time with 94 seats. The free-market liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), capturing 80 seats, returns to the legislature after failing to pass the 5 percent vote threshold in the last national election. The Greens and the Left (the latter is the successor to the communists) complete the political lineup, winning 67 and 69 seats, respectively. None of these results is a surprise.