German election reaction: Merkel wins, but her fourth term won't be an easy one

Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU won the largest share of seats in Germany's election on 24 September, but the election also saw a substantial rise in support for the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD). Patricia Hogwood writes that although Merkel has done enough to secure her fourth term as chancellor, she has seen her support drop significantly since the last election in 2013 and the coalition negotiations will be far from easy.