Angela Merkel To Contest For Fourth Term In Office

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will run for a fourth term in office, members of her conservative party have said.

Mrs. Merkel, 62, is expected to formally announce her intention later on Sunday at the headquarters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

General elections are expected in Germany in autumn next year.

Mrs. Merkel's poll ratings have slipped since the height of her popularity but she retains wide support.

She suffered an embarrassing regional election defeat earlier this year and is being challenged by the populist right-wing AfD party.

Mrs. Merkel said after the polls that she accepted responsibility for the defeats in several states.

She also conceded that her open-door policy towards migrants - embodied in her phrase "wir schaffen das" (we can manage it) - was a factor in the elections in several states.


SOURCE: BBC News