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2nd Ld Writethru: Merkel reelected as chairman of CDU party

Xinhua, December 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday was reelected chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at the annual convention of the party with a support rate of 89.5 percent, paving the way for her to seek a new term of chancellorship.

"I accept the election outcome and am pleased with the result. Thank you for the trust," Merkel said after the vote.

However, the 89.5 percent support rate she got at the convention in German city of Essen was the second lowest for her to be elected chairman of the center-right party, only slightly higher than the 88.4 percent in 2004.

In her speech to the nearly 1,000 delegates at the annual convention of the party, Merkel had committed her party to a tough federal election campaign in the coming year.

"You have to help me. No one can turn things around in Germany, in Europe, in the world alone, especially not a chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany," said Merkel.

A situation like the late summer 2015, the high point of the refugee crisis, "can, may and should not repeat itself," Merkel added.

She emphasized that people who need protection should be granted protection. However, the CDU leader also demanded more integration "without exception" on the basis of "the laws of our country."

Therefore, Merkel called for a prohibition of full veil, saying that "for us it means 'show your face.' Therefore, the full veil is not appropriate, it should be forbidden."

Meanwhile, Merkel also noted that there is currently "a great pressure on fundamental freedoms in Europe."

She will, however, work hard to ensure that these fundamental freedoms remain preserved. Only then could Britain have access to the internal market, Merkel said with a view to Brexit.

Merkel had declared in November that she was ready to run for the fourth term in office in 2017 election. The announcement ended months of speculation at a time when Europe is plunged into uncertainty among rising populism.

If she wins for the fourth time in 2017, she has the chance to beat the record holder, her mentor Helmut Kohl, who served 16 years in office. Endit