German Chancellor Angela Merkel led her conservative coalition to a rousing victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections. The results were a compelling affirmation of the policies and the popularity of the wily politician who Germans have come to call "Mutti" (mummy).
It is supremely ironic, then, that the ballot may actually push Germany a little to the left as Ms. Merkel struggles to cobble together a new coalition government.
The chancellor's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), allied with its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), has governed Germany since 2005. She took over as head of the party in 2000. Sunday was the third time she has tested her leadership at the ballot box.