Angela Merkel (C) receives congratulations after being re-elected as chancellor in Berlin, Germany, March 14, 2018. Angela Merkel was re-elected as German chancellor on Wednesday by the parliament, kicking off her fourth term to lead Europe's largest economy. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

Angela Merkel was re-elected as German chancellor by the parliament on Wednesday, kicking off her fourth term to lead Europe's largest economy.

Merkel won 364 votes in the 709-seat Bundestag, the German federal parliament, securing the absolute majority, Bundestag Speaker Wolfgang Schauble announced.

The vote came 171 days after the federal elections, the longest time in the country's history.