Angela Merkel wins German election

Chancellor Angela Merkel has claimed victory for a new centre-right government in Germany's general election. A beaming Merkel told supporters after Sunday's vote that "we have achieved something great. We have managed to achieve our election aim of a stable majority in Germany for a new government." Projections showed that Merkel's conservatives are headed for a majority with the pro-business Free Democrats, who performed very well in the vote. That fulfils Merkel's hopes of ending her "grand coalition" with the centre-left Social Democrats of challenger Frank-Walter Steinmeier. In joining with the Free Democrats, she hopes to cut taxes and halt a plan to shut down Germany's nuclear power plants by 2021. Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the Social Democrats, meanwhile conceded defeat in the poll saying: "There is no talking around it: this is a bitter defeat." Germany's three opposition parties appeared to have gained over the past four years, with all of them headed for their best results ever.

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ITN | September 27, 2009

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