Angela Merkel has been sworn in for a fourth term as German Chancellor after a close vote on Wednesday by Germany's parliament. <br /> Since the national popular election last September, Merkel has struggled to form a coalition to form a government, but eventually joined forces with the Social Democrats. <br />However, she still faces resistance from SPD members, many of whom are still unhappy with the prospect of another four years of a grand coalition. <br />Merkel embarks on her fourth term amid a fractious European Union, as well as a potential trade war with an increasingly protectionist United States. <br />
