Berlin, Dec 18

Angela Merkel was elected to a third term as chancellor in a vote in the German parliament's lower house Tuesday.

The election paves the way for her new coalition government to formally take power.

Merkel has been confirmed as German chancellor for a third term, at the head of a grand coalition, by a vote in the Bundestag (parliament), BBC reported. "I accept the election result and thank you for your trust," said Merkel following the confirmation vote.

She was confirmed by 462 votes, with nine abstentions. The coalition between her centre-right CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democrats (SPD) has a huge majority, with 504 of the 631 seats in the lower house.

A total of 462 lawmakers backed Merkel for chancellor while 150 voting against her and nine chose to abstain.