2 min readBerlinSep 23, 2013 02:59 AM IST
First published on: Sep 23, 2013 at 02:59 AM IST
Angela Merkel was on track to win a third term as chancellor in a German election on Sunday after her conservatives scored their best result in decades,but it was unclear whether she could avoid being forced into a coalition with her leftist rivals.
Television exit polls showed Merkels conservative bloc the Christian Democratic Union CDU and Bavarian Christian Social Union CSU on 42 to 42.5 percent,which if confirmed would be their strongest score since 1990.
That gives the conservatives an outside chance of securing an absolute majority on their own,which would be a historic success for the 59-year-old Merkel,whose steady leadership during the euro zone crisis has made her hugely popular at home.
Merkel hailed her conservative blocs victory as an excellent result but said it was too early to discuss plans for the next government. This is a super result, Merkel told cheering supporters. We will do all we can in the next four years together to make them successful years for Germany. It is too early to say how we will proceed but today we should celebrate.
Her centre-left rival Peer Steinbruecks Social Democrats SPD came in second place on around 26 percent.
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