German Chancellor Angela Merkel secured a fourth consecutive term after her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won Germany's general election on Sunday. Nevertheless, she is set to face more challenges in office than in any of her previous terms due to weakened authority and the presence of far-right populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Bundestag, the country's major legislative body.
Merkel's conservative bloc won about 33 percent of the vote, down 8.5 points from the 2013 election, while its coalition partners, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), dropped to a post-war low of 20.5 percent. With around 13 percent of the vote, the anti-immigration AfD became the first far-right party to enter the German parliament in more than half a century.
Germany's best-selling daily Bild called it a "nightmare victory" for Merkel, whose party received its lowest percentage of the vote since 1949.
Deutsche Welle Editor-in-Chief Ines Pohl wrote in a commentary that the SPD and Merkel were "two clear losers" of the election, which had sent a clear message: "No more business as usual."
What challenges is Merkel facing?
Negotiating a 'Jamaica coalition'
With just around 33 percent of the vote, Merkel's CDU must form a coalition to fill out the 51 percent needed for the next government. Although Merkel did not rule out a continuous partnership with the SPD during her press conference on Monday, the latter has made it clear it will go into opposition this time.
That leaves Merkel with little choice.
The most likely partnership is what is being dubbed the "Jamaica coalition" for the campaign colors black, green and red of the involved parties – the liberals or Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens. Together their union would fill 52.4 percent of the Bundestag seats.
However, the FDP and the Greens differ drastically in matters of environmental protection and open support of private businesses. Moreover, most Green voters want their party to remain a voice of opposition.
Multiple reports predict that negotiations for a coalition government could drag on to the end of the year. Merkel said she was sure a coalition would be agreed by Christmas.
Dealing with new 'Nazis'
The AfD, the biggest winner in the election, has been denounced by mainstream German politicians for its Islamophobic stance. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel even called its leaders "real Nazis."
To a great extent, the fall of the CDU's votes and the rise of the far right are a result of Merkel's decision to allow one million migrants into Germany two years ago and escalated fears of terrorist threats across the country. Many Germans see the AfD's rise as a similar rejection of the status quo as votes for Brexit in the UK and Donald Trump in the US last year, though Germany's political center held up better.
Now Merkel must start seriously dealing with the far-right party in the parliament.
The AfD's entry into the parliament has significant impacts on German politics, Fraser Cameron, director of the EU-Asia Center, told CGTN.
The party will not only have a public platform, but also get more media coverage and access more financial resources, he said, adding that other parties will have to take into account the AfD's anti-immigration and Eurosceptic agendas.
"They will influence the political scene in Germany quite substantially," Fraser stressed.
Enhancing leadership in EU and globally
As the largest economy in the European Union, Germany has maintained a steady growth during Merkel's 12-year tenure, despite the 2007-2008 global financial crisis and the subsequent European debt crisis. The chancellor and her country are viewed as the anchor of stability not only in Europe, but also in the world.
Berlin is playing a central role in the Brexit negotiations and working with other major players on the continent to chart a course for EU's future. Besides, Merkel is defending economic globalization and free trade alongside Chinese leaders against Trump's protectionism, offering to coordinate between the DPRK and the US, and continuing to play important roles in addressing climate change, terrorism and the refugee crisis.
All the leadership relies on strong performance of the German economy. To maintain prosperity at home, Merkel has a lot of tough tasks in the next four years.
An article written by The Guardian's Kate Connolly indicated that there are "signs of trouble ahead" in the seemingly "golden age" for Germany. The country needs to reform its ailing steel industry, improve its digitalization performance, push forward an energy revolution and address looming aging problems.
