Angela Merkel wins third term in German elections, falls short of absolute majority

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party has won Germany's election, but did not gain an absolute majority.

Merkel earlier urged her party to celebrate a super result after she won for a historic third term.

Her Christian Democrats (CDU) bloc took about 42 percent of the vote, the BBC reports.

Merkel might have to seek a grand coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD), who won about 26 percent of the vote.

CDU parliamentary group leader Volker Kauder said that the party 'has a clear mandate from voters to form a government'.

According to the report, the results showed that the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) won only 4.8 percent,

which is a disaster for the junior coalition partner.

Merkel has made clear she would be prepared to work with the Social Democrats (SPD) in a grand coalition, as she did in 2005-09.