Merkel says she wants to run for 4th term as German chancellor

Berlin: Germany`s Angela Merkel, told leading members of her conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) on Sunday, that she wants to run for a fourth term as chancellor in next year`s election, senior party sources, said on Sunday.

The 62-year-old conservative is widely seen as a stabilising force in Europe amid uncertainty after Britain`s vote to leave the European Union and as a bastion of Western liberal values after the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president.

Leading members of the CDU are meeting in Berlin on Sunday afternoon to prepare for the party`s last annual conference before September`s election. Merkel is due to hold a news conference at 1800 GMT.

Merkel has already served 11 years as chancellor of Europe`s biggest economy.