German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party has won elections but finished just short of an absolute majority, official results show.
Mrs Merkel earlier urged her party to celebrate "a super result" after exit polls suggested she was set to win a historic third term.
Her Christian Democrats (CDU) took about 42% of the vote.
But she might yet have to seek a grand coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) who won about 26% of the vote.
Mrs Merkel's preferred liberal partners appear not to have made it into parliament.
Exit polls for ARD public television put the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) on 4.7%, which if confirmed would be a disaster for the junior coalition partner, leaving it with no national representation in parliament.
Party chairman Philipp Roesler called it "the bitterest, saddest hour of the Free Democratic Party".
The FDP was beaten by the Green Party (8%) and the former communist Left Party (8.5%), and even, according to exit polls, the new Alternative fuer Deutschland, which advocates withdrawal from the euro currency and took 4.9%, just short of the parliamentary threshold.
There was at one point speculation on German television that Mrs Merkel's CDU and their Bavarian sister CSU might even win enough seats for an absolute majority - the first in half a century.
The ARD channel's projection had her group winning 297 seats against 301 for the other three parties, while ZDF had her even with the other three.
'Something fantastic'
Mrs Merkel earlier addressed jubilant supporters at CDU headquarters. After waiting for chants of "Angie, Angie" to die down, she told them: "This is a super result."
"We can celebrate tonight because we have done something fantastic."
But, in a reference to coalition building, she said it was "too early to say exactly what we'll do".
Correspondents say that the 59-year-old chancellor seemed to acknowledge the complexities of forming a government when she was asked on television if she planned to reach out to other parties.
"Maybe we won't find anyone who wants to do anything with us," she replied.
Correspondents say that the result is nevertheless a ringing endorsement of her steady leadership during the euro zone crisis.
CDU parliamentary group leader Volker Kauder said that the party "has a clear mandate from voters to form a government". The outcome showed that "voters want Angela Merkel to remain chancellor" for a third term, he said.
Mrs Merkel has made clear she would be prepared to work with the Social Democrats (SPD) in a grand coalition, as she did in 2005-09.
The SPD has been more reluctant to consider linking up with the CDU/CSU again. The party leader, Peer Steinbrueck, was finance minister in the previous grand coalition, but has said he would not serve in such a government again.
Correspondents say that whatever the shape of the coalition that ends up forming the government, there probably will not be any significant policy shifts, although there might be a slightly softer tone to Europe's debt crisis.
Several weeks of difficult negotiations are expected.
After the exit polls were released, but before official results were confirmed, Mr Steinbrueck conceded that it would be up to Mrs Merkel to decide how to proceed saying: "The ball is in Mrs Merkel's court. She has to get herself a majority."
The BBC's Chris Morris, at Social Democrat headquarters, said Mr Steinbrueck was putting a brave face on it but the atmosphere was subdued.
The SPD would have preferred to enter a coalition with the Green Party, but does not appear to have the votes to do so, and has ruled out a three-way alliance including the Left Party (Die Linke).
Analysts think the SPD will probably agree to a coalition with the CDU/CSU.
Turnout, projected at about 72%, was higher than at the last federal election - which had the worst on record.
据英国广播公司报道，德国官方大选统计结果显示，德国总理安格拉•默克尔领导的基督教民主联盟（CDU，简称基民盟）以42%的得票率赢得德国大选，但仍低于绝对多数。默克尔将开始历史性的第三任期，可能寻求与获得26%选票的德国社会民主党（SPD)组成大联合政府。
默克尔期待的执政伙伴自由民主党（FDP）在这次大选中惨败。根据德国公共广播联盟的民调，自民党仅获得4.7%的选票，若此调查结果属实，自由民主党将无缘联邦议员席位。该党主席菲利普•勒斯勒尔说，这是“自民党成立以来最痛苦的时刻”。
根据民调结果，自民党输给了得票8%的绿党和得票8.5%的左翼党，甚至不敌新组的选择党，选择党主张抛弃欧元，本次得票4.9%，离进入议会只有一步之遥。
德国公共广播联盟预测，默克尔领导的联盟党将在联邦议院获得297个席位，而其他3个党派共占301个席位。
早些时候，默克尔在基民盟总部庆祝胜选，她向欢欣鼓舞的支持者说：“这是一个完美结果。今晚我们可以尽情庆祝，因为我们完成了极其出色的事情。”但提及组建执政联盟时，她说：“现在决定我们将做什么还为时尚早。”
现年59岁的默克尔似乎认识到组阁将错综复杂。德国电视台记者问她是否打算接触其他党派，她回应说：“或许我们找不到愿意和我们共事的伙伴。”记者认为，此次选举结果是对默克尔在欧元区危机期间表现的认可。
默克尔明确表示或将准备与社民党组成大联合政府，像2005年到2009年那样。而社民党则一直不太愿意再次和联盟党合作。社民党主席佩尔•施泰因布吕克在此前的大联合政府中出任财政部长，但他曾表示不愿意再次为这样的政府服务。
不过，施泰因布吕克承认主动权在默克尔，他说：“皮球在默克尔的场地一边。她必须设法获得多数席位。”社民党更愿意与绿党组阁，但选票似乎不够，此外，社民党还排除了一个包含左翼党在内三方联盟。分析家认为社民党将可能同意与联盟党合作。
本次德国大选投票率约为72%，比上次大选的历史最低记录71.2%稍高。