German Chancellor, Angela Merkel on Sunday clinched a fourth term of office despite the relatively poor  performance of her party in the elections.

Her conservative party, the Christian Democratic Union emerged victorious with 33.2 percent, down from the 41.5 percent it garnered four years ago. The performance was her party’s  lowest since 1949.

Merkel’s main rival, the Socialist Democratic Party had its worst elections result since 1933 with 20.8 , percent of the votes while the anti – immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 13.1 percent of the votes, bringing the party into the German parliament for the first time in more than half a century.

“I have the intention of achieving a stable government, and that has been a hallmark of the country,” Merkel told supporters at the party’s headquarters shortly after the results were announced.

“We want to win back AfD voters by solving problems, by taking account of their concerns and fears, and above all, with good policies,” she added.

Despite the low result, Merkel who had frequently faced criticism in Germany for accepting more than a million refugees fleeing war-torn areas of the Middle East, becomes the longest serving leader in Europe.