German voters have given Chancellor Angela Merkel a mandate to form a centre-right coalition government with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP). Chancellor Merkel's bloc of Christian Democrats and the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) won 33.6 percent of the vote, far ahead of the Social Democratic SPD, which scored its worse defeat in 60 years.

Frank Walter Steinmeier's SPD only won 23.1 percent of the vote, a drop of 11 percent since the last election in 2005. Mrs Merkel had been forced to govern with the SPD against her will since her preferred FDP coalition partner did not secure enough seats in the last election.

Mrs Merkel's dream of forming a centre-right coalition cabinet was made possible by the large gains of the pro-business FDP of Guido Westerweller, which secured 14.8 percent of the vote, a party record. The FDP's gain of 32 seats in the 598-seat Bundestag and the gain of 13 seats by the CDU/CSU gives the new coalition a majority of 332 seats.

Since the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany the FDP has usually held the balance of power; the FDP ruled with the SPD from 1969 until 1982; however all other coalitions have been with the Christian Democrats.

Die Linke (The Left) a coalition of former Social Democrats led by Oskar Lafontaine (an ex-chairman of the SPD) and members of the PDS, the successor to the East German Communist Party also made record gains, scoring 11.9 percent of the vote. There was also a swing to the Greens, which won 10.7 percent. Turnout was 71.2 percent, an all-time low.

State elections
There were also elections in two federal states. In the eastern state of Brandenburg, the Social Democrats increased their share of the vote from 31.9 percent to 33 percent due to the popularity of Brandenburg's Minister President Matthias Platzeck. The PDS won 27.2 percent, a slight loss, while the FDP and the Greens both returned to parliament by passing the five percent electoral threshold.

The extreme right-wing German People's Union (DPV) scored a dramatic loss in Brandenburg, falling from 6.1 percent to around one percent, and must now leave the federal parliament. The PDS hopes the SPD, which now governs in Brandenburg with the CDU, will change coalition partners.

In Schleswig-Holstein, it appears that CDU Minister President Peter Harry Carstensen will get his wish and form a coalition with the FDP. Several months ago he ended a coalition with the SPD in the federal parliament. Despite losses for his CDU in Sunday's election, the FDP made record gains which will enable him to form a new centre-right coalition.

United States President Barack Obama, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende joined other leaders congratulating Mrs Merkel on her victory.
 

Chancellor Merkel wins Bundestag mandate
Photo by EPA/ANP