a fourth term as chancellor of germany but it's not a party that is celebrating. immigration alternative for germany takes place in the federal election and parliament for the first time. and it is a night of disappointment for social democrats with their lowest share of the vote since world war two. and broadcasting live from our studios in moscow this is arts international i'm

sean thomas with special coverage of the election in germany let's get right to it . has secured a fourth term in office after an election that has brought a shift of power in the german parliament election team has been following all of the developments from berlin. i niki arran welcome to our special coverage of the german election from here in our studio in the heart of the i'm going to merkel has won a full term as chancellor we know that with all the votes now counted but it's been a disappointing night for her closest rival martin schulz the time of celebration for the alternative for germany party.

for this is a big day in history. we've entered the store and we will change this country to achieve what happened today at six o'clock these are pollution. thank you all this li the c.d.u. would have hoped for a better result but we mustn't forget that we achieved our strategic objectives we are the strongest party we have a mandate to form a new government and no government can be formed against or without us. thank you different. democracy now. after losing action. we lost the federal election. here are the official results of the top three parties leading the way after expected is angela merkel's christian democratic union with thirty three percent martin schulz scientist social democratic party are in second place with twenty one

percent for the main two parties their results look to be their worst in post-war history that's incredible but a strong showing for the alternative for germany party and they're now set to enter parliament for the very first time with thirteen percent of the vote and in one state saxony now the largest party so let's go into more detail about all ghibli the main winner of the day the anti immigration euro skeptic alternative for germany party they will be getting ninety four seats which is almost warm stick that the total in the bundestag you can see behind me now and one of his party leaders that is vital had this to say. the very first green we are going to do is deliver on our promise we're going to establish a commission against. which to look very closely into what this lady has done to the. many voters especially the young are concerned over the party's radical agenda

people have turned out to protest in cities all across germany including in cologne and in front and there's the a.f.d. supporters. we took the results inside the head for this hearing protest as a quickie but outside. it was. that was what. i. was. this whole was easy that's just going to send a signal with the main tank these protesters that i've found out tonight and i think you when i was

a little thank you thank you thank you thank you thank god thank god he of a god she said i was you say oh thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank god thank you thank you god thank you. very much thank you very same see all right so when anything was only yesterday and beatrix still inside the party the senate was also about wasn't for excessive would be but i'm up to see you just have to know that game he was good for nothing you say i disagree yes forgotten a little bit in this democracy and there's always a lot of it was new to the moment has not had struck a deal to say the seating of all we still keep chasing this migration responding

we'll see here oh yes so see this is the little advocacy you know you can always call. only had one on syria to be able to say anything we're going to do to reduce . borrowers who knew what the hell just the exactly there are that was the bigger we are as i said that with similar types of movements just like this one just like with the national front in france and strong supporters in the us with that of the regs it crowd the anti establishment it was because they are actually egged on by greeks like was a good thing because they only work if there were reasons to galvanize and kind of get together band together more strongly was certainly the sense i got was a med school case was to the way i was supposed to out how they told me it was about this. tonight now i want to be on the. beaches one of the scenes being acceleration was gandhi's no less which said the first lady nor you then

they lost you then they might see you was a new way and now i guess being in the a.s.d. camp they was they probably think that they've gone from the loafing around age to the boarding thank you it was good thanks it is thank you thank you the number of people that it was a test was again thank you and god it was like it was out it was not i was thinking about what i was people who were they all were going to i was have let the building was the way they have all been quietly a school out the back door say they are protesting now at an empty venue over that was but take a look at what it was the right was celebrating the apple it was was just was a couple of hours ago would i

was excited i was to old. now as we mentioned also as if it germany party has taken a narrow lead in the state of saxony which is in the east of the country the a.f.p. is on twenty seven percent that's just a fraction of a percent ahead of the cd saxony is the birthplace of the anti my current group ikeda movement and stronghold for the a.f.p. is also being well known for its anti refugee sentiments no dutch journalist juice nirmal it believes the election result could force the government to rethink its immigration policy i think basically it's an enormously psychological breakthrough for the germans itself that the a of d. just became an important part of the bullish stock now so there will be now for the first time in a blue stock real discussions about immigration which never happened before and i

think this is the most important thing you can say and mrs merkel she made one of the biggest decisions in after war germany by letting in one million people without consolation to the people themselves without any real discussions in the lusaka to try and she did get an enormous slip in her face because of this and i think it will take more time to really know what really happened at that moment but america will yes she will still be the prime political force in germany but she has to deal. with parties who are told you only on the left side like the liberals and the greens she has to go into politics what's another way around and. that will be a fairy bad for her i don't i don't see how she could manage this.

just over seventy five percent of germany's sixty one million eligible voters cast their ballots that several percent higher than. in the two thousand and thirteen election as things stand on clinical study your party is on course to win two hundred thirty eight seats in the bundestag out of a total of around six hundred martin scholz and his social democrats come next with one hundred forty eight seats while alternative for germany in parliament for the first time will have ninety five seats so with the shifting forces in parliament and the merkel will need to find a new coalition partner so let's now take a look at the likely path for the chancellor. the german parties really emerge with a solid majority from the elections so when it's over the try to make friends which is not easy after having tried hard to undermine each other's policies during complaining but the good news is for the politicians you can always see the story

we can't keep our election promise because our coalition partners won't let us which is not good news for the voters though you might ask what was the point when you basically get a programme that you didn't vote for. there is no guarantee that what you as a voter would like. to see in terms of politics will really turn out there is no guarantee that you will be in the middle of the election and therefore there is no guarantee that what you as a voter want to be transformed into politics will really work out in this way. so what kind of government might germany get. so bitter sweet results for angela merkel tonight our correspondent daniel hawkins was at that headquarters the c.d.u. let's take a look. if you become a party. to it you know that it is for it. to

be this is the. big losses that you. think that it is for that. if the as well as the three i look we've come across a lot of local stuff the other challenge will feel like a coalition with policy because she does have differences off the ball to. help out . the playing second fiddle so much as they have. to pull the stage to see a patient of his but. look at the many challenges that was in the country place him at the time it will be ok if there was water but it would show that there is a big new challenge ahead of us while the a.v. party will be joining german parliament who want to win back those who voted for the empty to find out their concerns and for its never go to the coalition as we

mentioned earlier there were several possibilities here before with the social democrats will be perhaps even up the fall if the lincoln jordan coalition that has been ruled out is to play kill us that's the coalition between the c.d.u. we did have across he had dreams but there are always differences as i mentioned all the environmental policy big things for example the baltic to shut out a little bit coal fired power how long that will be subtle before he has a couple was all quite coming in from the feet of democratic policy to all the bodies say the sixty million euros going to crawl schools which any of them is a lawyer in the side. has an audit you or he broke politician that would be very much rocky process to go shake up with if we didn't have a product called well in response the boss would himself out she will so you said let's think about it to get more of

a very much i thought about what what things out to the public want to divide things i thought was a consensus. that a lot of shills districts despite the pope would like but this sunday will help here. sition you still might take weeks to months slow what austin should be confident about a politician like christmas. will say she's missed she is the one best bet find a local it seems a conflict is one of your main shots for. sixty years that will be cut she starred in the fifth film a sudden shot so that in germany assuming she sits out home coming up we'll take a ball with helmut kohl the full charles lee foster play in some a summer this year i'll take to be the longest serving child of all from multiple to small for the job and if it was seventy full.

time i remember she was always there i mean i can't really remember a time when she wasn't like the chancellor and i don't even know who came before her mission a mission to underline that as an event on us to move on to the mac of a said i think she was elected in two thousand and five for the first time i was like seven she's just been around for ever she's always been an image she's been in power a long time i think there's to be some is one can double the size also. i've never been an adult without under american governing. in two thousand and five she

was elected for the first time i was only thirteen. a boy from my school died in a traffic accident. in fukushima the core melted people died. i went to mississippi for a year as an exchange student. blacks voted obama whites mccain barack obama became the first black president. and i'm all over. america. as the early results start to trickle in on sunday night the social democratic party leader martin shows well he was unable to hide his disappointments. thank

you thank you today's a difficult day for social democracy now in our look. after losing option to retreat or didn't we lost the federal election. and the looks on their faces there really said it all it turned out to be the espy's was still extant performance since the second world war on twitter users were quick to add insult to injury some salt caustically congratulated moss and so on his high energy. while others suggested most mr schultz may not have realized this was a national election and not a local race and there were some hostile comments too but one user describing the s.b. days before months as pathetic well here's a quick look at what the former european parliament president is best known for

among voters. make europe great again. as we mentioned bottom sos has ruled out keeping the so-called grand coalition going between the social democrats and on the limit you now he will be the main

face of the opposition but how much of a challenge so it will pose to merkel is unclear as he agrees with the chance along so many key issues as our correspondent mark gasnier explains choices choices choices to leave or to remain. in clinton. or less all of them monumental decisions with global record question now it's germany merkel this is should be nice this is not much of a different take merkel's refugee policy obama then says when i have a clear stance on any refugee limit which is that i will not accept it. and he is sure it's just a vengeance will those people bring also is more valuable than money that's what europe believes in the same story with europe they want more of it more you rock received more union and more brushed. with germany at the wheel bearing eloping

europeans who believe trans national democracy is the best model for us to stand up and break this silence up shoots a former president of the european parliament merkel the leader of europe's powerhouse as i think if we do it be and have our theat in our own hands i'll continue to maintain that the twenty seven member states must work intensively together for our future to make the two even share a dislike of if not hatred for the man in charge across the ocean orange in that out there are lots of concerns about the russian of the north korean dictator we need the united states of america as a peaceful power but we have to bring them on the path of rationality and that means diplomatic solutions to the problem the problem that we have with trump is that he is unpredictable in that sense who should be tool to not even

a pre-election debate can get the two to clash or sparks to fly what was supposed to be a jewel looked more like a jew at the ball and delicate us of appears. all translation. staged. they have their mind the differences this and that but as one german wheat put it the biggest difference between merkel and shoot is the. more i guess the g. eight leaders have been congratulating angulo merkel on securing a fourth term also twelve years in power the chancellor has made a major impact on european politics but not all of her decisions have been welcomed by the other member states.

for a way europe is. being challenged as opposed to test to find the answer as one we germans have every interest in playing a leading role in this world that. look . i don't like because of this migrant issue she was the one who told them to come write. that because they were very. we thank you. we. are in the city we are. live with who still believe you so special the very next income from some of the new pushers of

the old german interests their strengths the interests of the individual countries especially recently for not being given. a single dime and i see a man who is going to be for the first time college and i was like let's hope you are doing the job so that the guy to let's close it goes we really need. such. limited good to get money fortunately germany has joined greece into a lab rat it has turned it into a german colony it and through greece of course the socially demolished old europe and its more good right. to free democratic policy which is in full places see this was old as a victory and a major turnaround off to

a plunge in popularity and. yes it's young lady kristin has been credited with this dramatic revival. all of it has been back home. christi and linda has spoken he received a raucous reception from what is continuing now is fairly subdued celebration here at the free democrats headquarters here in central berlin a lot of thought going into what comes next now what goes on in those tough negotiations very tough negotiations that are starting almost immediately as to who joins the coalition or how that coalition will be managed now christian linda when he took the stage he said look if you go to applaud every every line that i say we're going to be here all night he is very well received among the supporters of this party the thirty eight year old former dot com entrepreneur it's really dragged this party hope from the diabolical state it was in four years ago no it was that was after it spent four years in coalition with angela merkel they were

and i awaited at the polls in twenty thirteen they took less than five percent they were out of the bundestag in the wilderness for the last four years they're back now with more than twice what they took in twenty thirty and it seems that a lot of that is being pinned on christie and linda in his successful leadership however how that pans out in coalition talks huge questions to be asked just off the top of my head if we look at greece and potential for a future bailout any potential future bailout for greece the free democrats they would be completely against not but when it comes to trade something that the free democrats are very much in favor of well look at big trade deals such as seats or tea tape the green party would be against those so how these two parties are going to come together with angela merkel and her sister party the christian social union from bavaria and form some form of government it's going to be a long tough task ahead and

a lot of focus is going to be on christian linda here. being tipped prior to this election as a potential new foreign minister in the next couple of publicly look now with the thirty eight year old former dot com entrepreneur came from and how we made it to the stage this evening. going. to be like the fight scenes in which he then go on the comeback in michigan where

she also offers a little bit of money. but there were a few unexpected surprises while in a particularly unusual election day stunt an elephant has been filmed stomping around in city center. the activists who organized the walkabout say they were inspired by the english expression and elephant in the room they believe that the issue of a referendum in germany is one such elephant and like campaigners say that over seventy percent of people in the country one for them to be focused on the political decisions however the german government has so far ignored that call well the us has live and what was otherwise a lackluster campaign in germany but some of the candidates still made the headlines with a range of striking posters here are some of the most memorable ones.

six.

months.