Germany election: Merkel wins fourth term, exit polls say

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been re-elected for a fourth term while nationalists have made a historic breakthrough in federal elections, exit polls suggest.

Her conservative CDU/CSU alliance is set to remain the largest party in the parliament, with 32.5% of the vote.

Its outgoing coalition partner, the social democratic SPD, says it will go into opposition after winning 20%.

The nationalist AfD is on track to become the third party, with 13.5%.

The performance, better than forecast in opinion polls, means the right-wing party will have seats in the Bundestag for the first time.

Dozens of protesters have gathered outside the party's headquarters in Berlin, some with placards saying "Refugees are welcome".

While her alliance has remained the largest party, the numbers, if confirmed, are the worst result for the alliance between the Christian Democrat (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) under Mrs Merkel's leadership.

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