Angela Merkel may run for 4th term as German chancellor

A senior leader of Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has said that the Chancellor Merkel will run for a fourth term next year.

"She will run for chancellor," CNN quoted Norbert Roettgen of the Christian Democratic Union, as saying.

"She is absolutely determined, willing, and ready to contribute to strengthen the international liberal order, but we can't see the Chancellor or Germany as last man standing," he added.

Germans are anxious to know whether Merkel will pursue a fourth term in next year's elections, and if she runs for the fourth term, it would be noteworthy as a large part of the German electorate is looking for stability in uncertain times following the the Brexit vote in Britain, the election of Donald Trump in the United States and the rise of populist movements in several European countries.

Despite the fact that Merkel is facing some backlash over Germany's refugee policies and the acceptance of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing Syria, Afghanistan and other nations, political experts have said that she will be a favourite to win if she pursues the position.

Christian Democratic Union spokesman Jochen Blind said that decision will be announced by Merkel in due time.

"The chancellor is a cornerstone of this political concept of the West as acting as a global player. So she will run, and she will act as a responsible leader," Roettgen said on whether Merkel was willing and desirous of "holding the liberal order, in the trans-Atlantic area, together.

"But it would be impossible to rely only on one person. We need the West, and the West is indispensable.

"And this of course means fundamentally and indispensably also the participation and contribution of the strongest part of the West, and this is the United States of America," he added.

Merkel said after Trump's victory last week, "Germany and the United States are joined by common values -- democracy, freedom, respect for the law and human dignity, regardless of skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political beliefs.

She added that based on these values, she will be offering close cooperation to the future president of the United States of America, Donald Trump.

Angele Merkel was elected as the first woman Chancellor of Germany in 2005 and got re-elected as the Chancellor in 2009 and 2013.