German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to announce her bid for re-election today in a move likely to be welcomed in many capitals as a sign of stability following shock poll triumphs for Brexit and Donald Trump.
Getty Images
After months of feverish speculation about her plans, Merkel is due to hold a news conference at 1800 GMT during a meeting of her conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and say she will seek a fourth term in the 2017 elections.
Merkel, 62, has governed Europe's top economic power, which does not have term limits, since 2005.
Another full four-year term, which pollsters say is likely, would tie the post-war record set by her mentor Helmut Kohl, who presided over the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.
Merkel is popular among Germans, who see her as a straight-shooter and a safe pair of hands in tumultuous times.
But her decision to let in more than one million asylum seekers over the last two years has dented her support.
It also revived the fortunes of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany party (AfD), which has harnessed widespread anxiety about migration.
However observers said the recent seismic shifts in global politics could drive traditionally risk-adverse German voters back into her arms.
As US President Barack Obama exits the stage, many observers say Merkel's importance as a defender of Western values will only continue to grow, with some calling her the new "leader of the free world".
