BERLIN �� Angela Merkel said Sunday that she would seek a fourth term as German chancellor.
Merkel's policy of allowing almost 1 million refugees to enter Germany last year eroded support for her and her party while winning support for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany.
The events of the past week seemed to have persuaded her to run again. A two-day visit by President Barack Obama on his farewell overseas trip emphasized what's at stake for Europe with Donald Trump in the White House and his policies in areas such as free trade, NATO and Russia. Calling her "outstanding" and his closest international partner, Obama all but endorsed her re-election while saying that any weakening of the trans-Atlantic alliance would lead to a "meaner, harsher and tougher world."
Domestically, Merkel hinted at her electoral intentions by agreeing to support Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier as the next German president. In backing her coalition partner's candidate for the mainly ceremonial post, she signaled her preference for a possible resumption of the so-called grand coalition of her CDU and the Social Democrats that she led during her first and third terms.
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(Brian Parkin and Nicholas Comfort contributed to this report.)
