The nationalist AfD has won its first seats and is set to be the third party, a result that sparked protests.
The result is disastrous for Mrs Merkel, BBC Berlin correspondent Jenny Hill says.
The chancellor is being punished, our correspondent adds, for opening Germany's door to almost 900,000 undocumented refugees and migrants.
The exit polls suggest the Social Democrats (SPD), led by Martin Schulz, have also had its worst election result since 1949. He said the outcome meant the end of the "grand coalition" with Mrs Merkel's alliance.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41376577
The result is disastrous for Mrs Merkel, BBC Berlin correspondent Jenny Hill says.
The chancellor is being punished, our correspondent adds, for opening Germany's door to almost 900,000 undocumented refugees and migrants.
The exit polls suggest the Social Democrats (SPD), led by Martin Schulz, have also had its worst election result since 1949. He said the outcome meant the end of the "grand coalition" with Mrs Merkel's alliance.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41376577
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