German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been re-elected for a fourth term while nationalists have made a historic surge in federal elections. Her conservative CDU/CSU bloc has seen its worst result in almost 70 years but will remain the largest in parliament. The nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) has won its first seats and is set to be the third party. Federal minister for special affairs and chief of staff for federal chancellery Peter Altmaier said it was "disappointing" but the challenge now is to make sure Germany has a "stable government". AfD's Beatrix von Storch said the party's success was a "huge shift in the whole of the political system". (Image: Angela Merkel, credit: Getty Images)