![“Austerity belt” proves fashionable in Germany, Merkel wins elections “Austerity belt” proves fashionable in Germany, Merkel wins elections](https://mtic.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/000_arp3664390.si_-310x168.jpg)
Angela Merkel may be resented by the rest of Europe, but Sunday’s election result is validation by Germans of the Chancellor’s handling of the euro crisis, as they signed-up for four more years of tough austerity. Merkel’s cautious handling of the euro crisis secured her a third term as Chancellor, but she may struggle to form a strong coalition to continue her pro-Europe agenda in continuing outreach to the more peripheral ‘south’.