German parliament confirms Angel Merkel for new term

[Gerald]

Angela Merkel has been confirmed as German chancellor for a third term, at the head of a grand coalition, by a vote in the Bundestag (parliament).

The coalition between her centre-right CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democrats (SPD) has a huge majority, with 504 of the 631 seats in the lower house.

Mrs Merkel was confirmed by 462 votes, with nine abstentions.

Germany's tough stance on fiscal discipline is unlikely to change under the new coalition.

The SPD's membership voted on Sunday to back the coalition after painstaking negotiations.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25413519

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Note: 17 December 2013 Last updated at 10:16 GMT