German lawmakers elect weakened Merkel to fourth term

Lawmakers voted by 364 to 315, with nine abstentions, in favor of re-electing Merkel, a humbling start as the coalition of her conservatives and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) has 399 votes in the Bundestag lower house of parliament.

“I accept the vote,” a beaming Merkel, 63, told lawmakers.

In office since 2005, she has dominated Germany’s political landscape and steered the European Union through economic crisis.