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Merkel elected to third term

Berlin - 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.

Merkel's conservatives scored their best result in over two decades in a German election on 22September, 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 (parliament) was a formality as the ruling parties hold an overwhelming majority of the seats. A total of 462 lawmakers backed Merkel for chancellor, with 150 voting against and nine abstaining.

The new government faces a host of challenges, from bedding down European reforms aimed at shielding the bloc from future crises, to seeing through Merkel's costly switch from nuclear to renewable energy.

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