This editorial may have been written before the final vote tally came in. Merkel’s party ended up gaining seats rather than losing them, as did the Greenies.
The big win by the FDP is certainly a boon for the free market, and ending the grand alliance with the socialists will pay dividends, but I wouldn’t expect much in the way of social policy. The FDP is one of those ‘economic conservative, social liberal’ libertarian-type parties.
They can only sell what the people will buy and Europeans have been indoctinated very thoroughly into social liberalism.