Merkel refuses to comment on potential reelection bid

"I will make a statement on the issue of candidacy for chancellorship at the right time," Merkel told the ARD television broadcaster.

The next German federal elections are expected to be held between August 27 and October 22, 2017. Merkel, first appointed as chancellor in November 2005, is currently serving her third term in office.

Merkel also refused to comment, whether she would announce her decision at the congress of the ruling Christian Democratic Union party, scheduled for December.

A recent poll by Emnid revealed that 50 percent of German nationals oppose Merkel’s potential run for the fourth chancellor's term, while 42 percent of Germans support Merkel’s appointment as the next chancellor.