Germany: Merkel elected to 3rd term in parliament vote

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 later in the day.

Merkel's conservatives scored their best result in over two decades in a German election on Sept. 22 but were forced into lengthy coalition talks with the rival Social Democrats (SPD), whose members only approved the deal last weekend. (Reuters)