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Merkel Likely to Seek 4th Term

Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel

Norbert Rottgen, a member of Angela Merkel’s CDU party, said the German chancellor intends to run for a fourth term. It had been unclear whether or not she would run again after holding the post for 11 years.

Rottgen made the comments to CNN on Tuesday night when a reporter mentioned that Merkel had yet to commit to running for another term as chancellor, DPA reported.

“She will run for chancellor,” Rottgen answered, adding that Merkel “is absolutely determined, ready and willing to contribute to strengthen the international liberal order.”

The Christian Democratic Union politician and close Merkel ally was asked whether the Chancellor wanted to maintain the “liberal order in the trans-Atlantic area”. In response, Rottgen said Merkel is “a cornerstone of this political concept of the West as acting as a global player.”

However, Rottgen cautioned that for the West to succeed as a global player, “it would be impossible to rely only on one person.” He added that the cooperation and participation of the United States is also required.

Both CDU and the German government said they could neither confirm nor deny Rottgen’s comments.

Merkel, who has held the post for 11 years, has yet to announce whether she will run again, saying she will unveil her decision “at the appropriate time”. Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, wrote on Twitter: “Nothing has changed. The chancellor will comment at the appropriate time on the question of whether she will run for another term.”

Merkel has faced criticism at home over her refugee policies that saw nearly 900,000 asylum-seekers enter Germany in 2015.

In Germany, the chancellor is not directly elected by a public vote, but through a majority vote in the Bundestag. Typically, the leader of the party, which receives the most votes in the national election, is elected chancellor. Germany’s next general election will take place in 2017.

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