Despite a worldwide economic crisis, the left showed few gains in the last decade as the centre right reacted quicker to the shift in the electoral base, writes Leonid Bershidsky.

The co-chairwoman of the nationalist Alternative for Germany party said today she plans to leave it just two days after it made a strong showing in the country's elections.

Leaders of the nationalist, anti-migrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have sought to allay fears raised by Jewish groups and others about their entry into parliament.

Three German states are going to the polls in the first significant political test since the country saw a massive influx of migrants.

Angela Merkel was on track to win a third term as chancellor in a German election after her conservatives scored their best result in decades, but it was unclear whether she could avoid being forced into a coalition with her leftist rivals.

Angela Merkel’s conservatives triumphed in Germany’s election and could even win the first single-party majority in more than 50 years.

SELDOM was a general election in another European state watched more closely by the Irish people than Angela Merkel’s performance yesterday, which put her in an unassailable position to become Chancellor of Germany for a historic third term in succession.

Final results confirmed Chancellor Angela Merkel won a second term and a majority for a new centre-right government in Germany’s parliamentary election.

An exit poll tonight showed Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives have emerged from Germany’s election as the strongest party and are on track to form a new centre-right government.

Germans vote today on whether to return the nation’s first woman chancellor to a second term in office following a lacklustre campaign centred largely on economic issues.

The White House today congratulated Angela Merkel on becoming Germany’s chancellor and said it hoped she would meet soon with President George Bush.

Angela Merkel took power today as Germany’s eighth post-Second World War leader and its first female chancellor, heading an unwieldy alliance with the tough job of turning around Europe’s biggest economy after years of stagnation and six months of political turmoil.

President Vladimir Putin today congratulated Angela Merkel on her election as Germany’s chancellor and invited her to visit Russia.

Conservative leader Angela Merkel today confirmed a coalition deal that will make her Germany’s first female chancellor under the terms of a power-sharing agreement that would end Social Democrat Gerhard Schroeder’s seven years in office.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana today offered his congratulations to German Conservative leader Angela Merkel on the news she was to become Chancellor.

According to reports in the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told his conservative counterparts during coalition talks yesterday that he would not join the new government.

Conservative leader Angela Merkel was set to become Germany’s first female Chancellor under a power-sharing agreement that would end Social Democrat Gerhard Schroeder’s seven years in office, Social Democratic officials said today.

German Conservative leader Angela Merkel is to become Chancellor in a power-sharing deal, say party officials in Germany.

Conservative leader Angela Merkel is set to become Germany’s next Chancellor under an agreement reached between the country’s two main parties, a television channel reported today.

Germany's ZDF television has reported that agreement has been reached to see Angela Merkel become Chancellor, but cited no sources and gave no details.

Angela Merkel is to become German Chancellor, according to news agency Reuters.

Conservative challenger Angela Merkel is still pressing hard to replace Gerhard Schroeder as chancellor of Germany after the two opponents held another meeting to try to hammer out a coalition accord.

Conservative challenger Angela Merkel’s party today won a boost for her quest to become Germany’s first female chancellor by gaining a seat in the last remaining district in parliamentary balloting.

Aides to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and rival Angela Merkel showed no signs of compromise on their competing leadership claims as the pair met today for a second round of talks on forming a new German government.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder today underlined his aim to form a “grand coalition” between his Social Democrats and Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc, but warned it would likely take some time and be difficult.

A leading German conservative today said he was confident the country’s two biggest parties would succeed in forming a governing coalition, but he pressed Angela Merkel’s claim to replace Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Conservative challenger Angela Merkel claimed that her slight edge in German elections gave her a mandate to form a government, but conceded disappointment her Christian Democrats fell well short of their target.

Conservative leader Angela Merkel’s party has won the most votes in Germany’s parliamentary election, but emerged less than one percentage point ahead of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s resurgent Social Democrats, official results showed.

Germany’s parliament voted no confidence in Gerhard Schroeder’s government at the chancellor’s own request today, setting the stage for new elections amid economic sluggishness and growing discontent.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder today called for new elections, asking Parliament to bring down his government to enable him to seek a new mandate in a vote expected in September.

German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder faces a confidence motion he hopes to lose today, in a bid to bring down his own government and seek a new mandate for stalled economic reforms in early autumn elections.

Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats have won a second term in power with the Greens, it was reported this morning.

The outcome of Germany's election is still not known as Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his conservative challenger Edmund Stoiber ran neck-and-neck tonight in one of the country's closest post-war elections.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his conservative challenger Edmund Stoiber were running neck-and-neck today in one of the country’s closest post-war elections.

Germany’s justice minister has decided to step down after coming under fire for allegedly making an indirect comparison between US President George W Bush and Adolf Hitler, it was reported today.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was today seeking a second term in national elections dominated by tensions with the US over Iraq and a minister’s comparison of President George W Bush with Adolf Hitler.