The German parliament today formally elected Angela Merkel to a second term as chancellor, although by a smaller margin than expected, paving the way for her centre-right coalition to take office later in the day.
Of the 622 members of the Bundestag lower house, 323 voted for Dr Merkel, 11 more than she needed.
However, the result was something of a setback for her as nine members of coalition parties withheld their support.
Dr Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) won enough votes in the federal election on September 27th to form a government with the Free Democrats (FDP) and put an end to their awkward four-year "grand coalition" with the rival Social Democrats.
Dr Merkel (55) became Germany's first woman chancellor in 2005 and is the country's first leader to have grown up in the former communist East.
She has said the priority of her new coalition will be to ensure Europe's biggest economy emerges stronger from the financial crisis.
The government is promising billions of euros in tax relief, although it is unclear how it will finance the cuts at a time of rising debts and some conservatives have criticised the deal.
Together, the coalition parties have 332 seats in the Bundestag, which means Dr Merkel could have trouble pushing through legislation opposed by many in her party or in the FDP.
President Horst Koehler will swear in Dr Merkel and her new ministers later today.
Reuters