German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes the oath of office in front of Parliament President Wolfgang Schaeuble. Pic/AFP

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, bruised by half a year of post-election coalition haggling, was narrowly confirmed by parliament to her fourth and likely final term at the helm of Europe's biggest economy. Lawmakers in Berlin's glass-domed Reichstag voted 364-315 with nine abstentions for Merkel, who was then formally appointed by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before taking the oath of office.