Angela Merkel terms full face cover inappropriate; calls for 'Burkha' ban in Germany

Berlin: While marking her pitch for a fourth term on Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has called for 'Burkha' ban in the country, said refugee crisis must never be repeated.

"The full veil is not appropriate here, it should be forbidden wherever that is legally possible. It does not belong to us," she said at the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) gathering.

It's not the first time that party leaders have proposed banning the Islamic dress, with Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere also calling for the veil to barred from public places in August.

Dutch MPs voted for a similar prohibition in the Netherlands in November, covering public transport, education, healthcare and government buildings and punishing fractions with fines.

Support for bans on 'Burkha' has been growing across Europe since France became first country to implement such a law in 2011, followed by countries including Belgium, Bulgaria and parts of Switzerland.

Markel is active and unobstructed for a new term leading the CDU to launch her bid for a fourth term as  German Chancellor.

In 2014, she had won the support of 96.7 per cent of party delegates, one of her best results. 

But due to growing anti-migrant sentiment in the country and the arrival of one million asylum seekers in the continuing refugee crisis, her popularity has been dented.

Merkel has broadly been criticized for her accommodation to make borders accessible in September 2015.

Opponents had blamed Merkel for the policy of  mass sexual assaults on New Year's Eve in Cologne and two terror attacks by Islamic State supporters.