Chancellor Angela Merkel won a stunning victory in Germany's elections, but she still faces the delicate work of forming a coalition government. She and top party officials were meeting Monday to talk strategy about reaching out to the center-left rivals they need to form a government. 
 
 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, chairwoman of the Christian Democratic party CDU, waves to her supporters at the party headquarters in Berlin Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives... (Associated Press) 
 
 German chancellor Angela Merkel smiles behind German flags at the party headquarters in Berlin, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013, after the first exit polls have been published. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (Associated Press) 
 
 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, chairwoman of the Christian Democratic party CDU drinks a glass of withe wine at the party headquarters after the national elections in Berlin Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013.... (Associated Press) 
 
 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, chairwoman of the Christian Democratic party CDU, holds a finger on her lips on the stage at the party headquarters after the national elections in Berlin Sunday, Sept.... (Associated Press) 
 
 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, chairwoman of the Christian Democratic party, CDU, greets a supporter at the party headquarters after the national elections in Berlin Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Chancellor... (Associated Press) 
 
 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, chairwoman of the Christian Democratic party CDU, smiles at the party headquarters in Berlin Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives triumphed... (Associated Press) 
 
 Merkel's Union bloc scored its best result in 23 years Sunday to put her on course for a third term, winning 41.5 percent of the vote and finishing only five seats short of an absolute majority in the lower house. However, Merkel's coalition partner crashed out of Parliament. 
 
 Merkel looks likely to end up leading either a "grand coalition" government with the center-left Social Democrats of defeated challenger Peer Steinbrueck _ reviving the alliance that ran Germany in her first term _ or, less likely, with the environmentalist Greens. 
 
 "We have two possibilities: the Social Democrats or the Greens," Volker Kauder, the leader of her party's parliamentary group, told ARD public Television. "We will determine in our committees how the talks should go." 
 
 "We will provide our country with a strong government," Kauder added before heading into the talks. 
 
 Markets were fairly subdued in their response to the election results given the likely haggling over the formation of a government in the coming days. The DAX index of leading shares was down 0.1 percent at 8,663. 
 
 "The formation of a government is not straightforward at all," said Peter Schaffrik, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets. "If finding a new government takes too long, markets might get jumpy as regards the stability of the German government, particularly with key European issues coming up for a negotiation." 
 
 Merkel's coalition partners in the last government, the pro-business Free Democrats, won only 4.8 percent of the vote. They fell short of the 5 percent needed to win seats in Parliament for the first time in Germany's post-World War II history, paying the price for frequent government infighting and their failure to secure the tax cuts they pledged before going into government four years ago. 
 
 "We don't know what the chancellor will do at this point," Kauder said. "She has the mandate to build a new government." 
 
 Several weeks of negotiations are expected, whether Merkel forms a coalition with the Social Democrats or with the Greens. 
 
 Merkel's conservatives finished far ahead of Steinbrueck's Social Democrats, who won 25.7 percent of the vote _ not much better than the post-war low of 23 percent they hit four years ago. 
 
 Their Green allies polled a disappointing 8.4 percent, while the hard-line Left Party scored 8.6 percent. Although the three parties on the left together hold a thin parliamentary majority, there's virtually no chance of their governing together. 

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Angela Merkel told her supporters: "We can all be delighted" 
 
 Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party has won Germany's election, but finished just short of an absolute majority, official results show. 
 
 Mrs Merkel urged her party to celebrate "a super result" as she looked set for a historic third term. 
 
 Her conservative bloc took about 41.5% of the vote - but her liberal partners failed to make it into parliament. 
 
 It is thought she is likely to seek a grand coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) who won 26%. 
 
 Analysis This is an amazing result for Angela Merkel, currently Germany's - and Europe's - pre-eminent politician. It was clear that she would win this election, but no-one really predicted that she could get so close to an absolute majority. The final results are not yet in, but it may still be that she needs a coalition partner. The obvious solution is a grand coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats. The party improved its share of the vote in second place, but still did not do as well as it wanted. But there are divisions within the SPD about going into coalition again as a junior partner. In 2009 they were punished by the electorate for doing that in 2005. Now the same thing has happened to the liberal Free Democrats, who have been in coalition with Mrs Merkel for the last four years, but appear to have been kicked out of parliament altogether. 
 
 The results showed that the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) won only 4.8%, which correspondents say is a disaster for the junior coalition partner, leaving it with no national representation in parliament for the first time in Germany's post-war history. 
 
 Party chairman Philipp Roesler called it "the bitterest, saddest hour of the Free Democratic Party". 
 
 The FDP was beaten by the Green Party (8.4%) and the former communist Left Party (8.6%). It almost finished behind the new Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD), which advocates withdrawal from the euro currency and took 4.7%, just short of the parliamentary threshold. 
 
 There was at one point speculation that Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister CSU might even win enough seats for an absolute majority - the first in half a century. 
 
 'Something fantastic' 
 
 Final percentage of the vote CDU bloc: 41.5% 
 
 SPD: 26% 
 
 FDP: 4.8% 
 
 Left Party: 8.6% 
 
 Green: 8.4% 
 
 AfD: 4.7% 
 
 Mrs Merkel earlier addressed jubilant supporters at CDU headquarters. After waiting for chants of "Angie, Angie" to die down, she told them: "This is a super result." 
 
 "We can celebrate tonight because we have done something fantastic." 
 
 But, in a reference to coalition building, she said it was "too early to say exactly what we'll do". 
 
 Correspondents say that the 59-year-old chancellor seemed to acknowledge the complexities of forming a government when she was asked on television if she planned to reach out to other parties. 
 
 "Maybe we won't find anyone who wants to do anything with us," she replied. 
 
 Correspondents say that the result is nevertheless a ringing endorsement of her steady leadership during the euro zone crisis. 
 
 CDU parliamentary group leader Volker Kauder said that the party "has a clear mandate from voters to form a government". The outcome showed that "voters want Angela Merkel to remain chancellor" for a third term, he said. 
 
 Image caption Angela Merkel told supporters they had achieved "something fantastic" 
 
 Image caption CDU supporters celebrated what appeared to be a strong victory 
 
 Image caption FDP chairman Philipp Roesler oversaw a disastrous result for the party 
 
 Mrs Merkel has made clear she would be prepared to work with the Social Democrats (SPD) in a grand coalition, as she did in 2005-09. 
 
 The SPD has been more reluctant to consider linking up with the CDU/CSU again. The party leader, Peer Steinbrueck, was finance minister in the previous grand coalition, but has said he would not serve in such a government again. 
 
 Correspondents say that whatever the shape of the coalition that ends up forming the government, there probably will not be any significant policy shifts, although Germany might take a slightly softer approach to austerity in the eurozone. 
 
 Several weeks of difficult coalition negotiations are expected. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Peer Steinbrueck: "We did not get the result we wanted" 
 
 After the exit polls were released, but before official results were confirmed, Mr Steinbrueck conceded that it would be up to Mrs Merkel to decide how to proceed saying: "The ball is in Mrs Merkel's court. She has to get herself a majority." 
 
 The BBC's Chris Morris, at Social Democrat headquarters, said Mr Steinbrueck was putting a brave face on it but the atmosphere was subdued. 
 
 The SPD would have preferred to enter a coalition with the Green Party, but does not appear to have the votes to do so, and has ruled out a three-way alliance including the Left Party (Die Linke). 
 
 Analysts think the SPD will probably agree to a coalition with the CDU/CSU. 
 
 Turnout, projected at about 72%, was higher than at the last federal election - which had the worst on record.
– Angela Merkel is all but certain to serve a third term as chancellor of Germany after scoring a massive win in the country's election—but despite leading her Christian Democratic Union party to its best result in 23 years, she'll still need a partner to form a government. Her party scored 41.5% and fell just five seats short of an absolute majority. Her liberal coalition partners, however, the Free Democrats, had the worst election in their history and failed to reach the 5% necessary to have any representation in Parliament, the AP reports. "This is an amazing result for Angela Merkel, currently Germany's—and Europe's—preeminent politician," says the BBC's Chris Morris. "It was clear that she would win this election, but no one really predicted that she could get so close to an absolute majority." There will probably be days of haggling ahead before Merkel and her party decide on a coalition partner, but most analysts expect she will reach out to the Social Democrats—the junior coalition partners in her first term—instead of the Green Party.