German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been re-elected President of the Christian Democrat CDU Party for an eighth two-year term.
ADVERTISEMENTGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to commence her eighth two-year term as president of the Christian Democrat Party. With 96.72 percent of the vote, it is her second highest result and was only topped in the 2012 election, when she received a whopping 97.94 percent.
Merkel used her acceptance speech to address criticism of her policy on Russia.
“What has been happening in Ukraine for months raises questions about the peaceful order in Europe.
“Russia continues to violate international law. Neighbouring countries are suddenly no longer partners, but spheres of influence”, she said, adding: “And we will not overcome those problems if we do not directly address them – and the CDU has always stood for that frankness.”
Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko was among the politicians and government ministers applauding the leader’s re-election.
In Europe, Germany is a regional superpower and Merkel’s views dominate.
In Germany, she leads a ruling coalition of her own conservative CDU and the Social Democrats (SPD). It is an alliance that has 80 percent of the seats in the German parliament, the Bundestag.