Majority of Germans believe Angela Merkel’s health is a ‘private concern’, poll finds

Chancellor has suffered three shaking spells in as many weeks

Most Germans believe Angela Markel’s health is a ‘private concern’, according to a recent poll.

It comes after the chancellor suffered the latest in a series of shaking spells this week that have raised questions about whether she should give an explanation for the episodes.

Ms Merkel, who turns 65 next week, shook visibly at a welcoming ceremony for Finland's prime minister on Wednesday – the third such episode in as many weeks.

On Thursday, she broke with protocol and sat at a similar welcome for Denmark's prime minister.

The episodes have concerned many Germans and fired up a debate among some of the members of her party, the Christian Democrats, about whether she should step down sooner than a planned handover in 2021.

But a survey of 4,496 representative voters conducted on Thursday and Friday found 59 per cent believe Ms Merkel's health is a “private concern”.

The poll was conducted by pollster Civey for the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper and asked: "In your view, should Angela Merkel provide detailed public information about her state of health, or is this her private concern?"

Just 34 per cent said her health details should be published, with 7 per cent undecided.

The chancellor, who has no history of serious health issues, said "I am fine" on Wednesday, after trembling at the ceremony to receive Finland's prime minister.

She added that she was "working through" a bout of tremors that first occurred in mid-June.

But she has declined to give any details about her health.

Ms Merkel is famously private, only rarely making public appearances with her husband. This is in stark contrast to her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder – who faced questions in office about his marriage and whether he dyed his hair.

Ms Merkel has led Germany since 2005, making her the longest-serving political leader of a major Western democracy. Now serving her fourth term in office, she does not plan to stand again in the next election in 2021.

Ms Merkel decided to seek a fourth term only after long reflection, and said in November 2016 she was seeking to stay on "if health allows". In 1998, she was quoted as saying: "I don't want to be a half-dead wreck when I leave politics."

Leading the European Union's largest economy, Ms Merkel is renowned for her work ethic and has a reputation for outlasting other leaders at EU summits with her ability to focus on the details of complex discussions deep into the night.

Reuters