Merkel casts ballot in German election
September 24, 2017  20:14
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Chancellor Angela Merkel cast her ballot in Berlin on Sunday in a general election widely predicted to land her a fourth term, but a possible strong showing by hard-right nationalists could cloud her victory.

Wearing black trousers and a red blazer, Merkel smiled for photographers as she dropped her voting paper into a ballot box at a polling station near her flat in central Berlin.

Merkels conservative CDU party, along with its Bavarian sister party the CSU, holds a double-digit lead in the polls over their nearest rivals, the Social Democrats led by Martin Schulz.

Surveys suggest the anti-Islam, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party could win its first seats in the national parliament and emerge as the third-strongest party, in what would cause a political earthquake in Germany. 

Another term in office for Merkel, who came to power in 2005, could see her match the 16-year reign of her former mentor Helmut Kohl.
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