Merkel wins as Germans choose centre-right

Merkel wins as Germans choose centre-right: "

BERLIN Sept 28 — German voters gave Chancellor Angela Merkel a second term yesterday and a mandate to partner with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) in a government that will rein in the role of the state in Europe’s largest economy.

Merkel, 55, has ruled for the past four years in a “grand coalition” with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), an awkward partnership of traditional rivals.

The election result frees her from the shackles of that marriage of convenience, allowing her to form the centre-right government she has argued is best placed to nurture Germany back to health after its worst recession in the post-war era.

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