German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has confirmed that she is to seek a fourth term in the general elections to be held in September 2017.
Speaking after meeting centre-right CDU party officials, Merkel staid, "I literally thought about this decision endlessly but I am ready to run for office again."
"I want to serve Germany," said the Chancellor, adding that she would, "fight for our values and our way of life." She remains the favourite candidate despite declining Christian Democrat Union party support among voters.
Mrs Merkel said that as Germany had become more polarised, she expected challenges from both the left and right wing, “This election will be difficult, like no other election since the (1990) reunification."
The conservative politician has led her country since 2005 but currently is under pressure following her decision to allow one million migrants into Germany.
Support from the Christian Social Union party, which has linked up with and generally has supported Merkel's CDU, has been patchy but leaders have welcomed her decision to run again.
In northern Europe, Merkel is seen as a stabilising force in a Europe suffering from challenges such as the migrant crisis, a weak eurozone and Brexit. IN the southern countries, she is seen to represent a country that has taken advantage of economic weakness to impose rigorous austerity measure and enable Portugal and Greece to borrow bailout funds to the economic benefit of German banks.
Following the surprise Donald Trump's victory in the US, Merkel wrote to the President-elect, stating, "Germany and America are connected by values of democracy, freedom and respect for the law and the dignity of man, independent of origin, skin colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views.
"I offer the next President of the United States close cooperation on the basis of these values."
Merkel already has met with outgoing President Obama in Berlin and discussed the war in Syria, international relations with Russia and the future of European trade with the United States.
Mrs Merkel has been noticeably less conciliatory towards Trump than many other world leaders who have expressed an opinion.
