Photo Gallery The Winners
Shortly before the initial TV projections were announced, one CDU supporter takes a swig of beer. Dutch courage?
A white-knuckle moment before the initial projections are announced. "teAM Deutschland" is printed on thousands of supporters' T-shirts: the chancellor's initials are capitalized.
CDU supporters in Berlin, sporting orange T-shirts, cheered as if they were at a rock concert, as TV projections were released shortly after polling stations closed at 6 p.m. local time.
Jubiliant supporters of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). Projections indicate that Merkel will be able to ditch the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) -- with whom she has shared power since 2005 -- and form a coalition with her preferred partner, the pro-business FDP.
Voters of all shapes and sizes were glued to the TV screens as ARD television broadcast the initial projections. Merkel's conservatives were projected to win 33.4 percent, down 1.8 points from the 2005 result of 35.2 percent. That's a small loss compared to the SPD, whose support fell to a record low of 22.7 percent from 34.2 percent.
CDU supporters in Berlin cheer upon hearing the news that Merkel's chancellorship will go on, but this time together with the FDP.
Thousands flocked to the CDU camp in Berlin to celebrate the success. Although Merkel was considered a clear favorite, it was not clear which party -- the SPD or the FDP -- would win enough seats to become a partner in the next coalition.
