Face of Nation : There are fears over the health of German Chancellor Angela Merkel after distressing footage shows her violently shaking for the second time this month.
The bout came as she met German President Frank- Walter Steinmeier and she can be seen gripping her arms and pursing her lips in a bid to stop the trembling which took place over one minute, but her spokesman says she is fine.
She was offered a glass of water, but did not drink it — despite blaming the previous incident on dehydration.
Mrs Merkel, 64, was attending an indoor farewell ceremony for Justice Minister Katarina Barley, who is leaving to become a politician in the European parliament. The spokesman said she would take part later in the swearing-in of the new justice minister.
She was also seen shaking on June 18 when she met visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy but later said she felt better after drinking some water.
Berlin is in the throes of a heatwave and she dismissed health concerns, saying the 28C heat had caused dehydration
The chancellor said at a news conference 90 minutes later: “Since then I’ve drunk at least three glasses of water, which I apparently needed, and now I’m doing very well.”
Asked if the chancellor would take part in this weekend’s G20 meeting in Japan, the spokesman said: “Everything is taking place as planned. The chancellor is well.”
Mrs Merkel appeared her usual self when she fielded questions from politicians during an hour-long session in parliament on Wednesday, shortly after which she gave a speech at the Humboldt University of Berlin.
Mrs Merkel – often dubbed the most powerful woman in the world – is Europe’s most influential politician and is expected to play a pivotal role in Brexit negotiations with Britain’s next PM.
The chancellor faces a gruelling schedule in the coming days.
She is currently flying to Japan for the G20 meeting before heading to Brussels for an EU summit on Sunday at which she will play a key role in trying to seal a deal on the distribution of the bloc’s top jobs for the next five years.
Reports in Germany say she has been seen shaking before, especially under the sun.
In 2014, she postponed a TV interview at the last minute because she felt weak.
She has been chancellor since 2005, and presided over Germany’s powerhouse economy that has propped up the eurozone through a series of crises.
But in October she was forced to stand down as leader of her Christian Democrat party after disastrous local elections.
She has vowed to stay on as chancellor – the equivalent of prime minister – until 2021.
Germany has seen forest fires this week amid rocketing temperatures as the Sahara bubble heatwave brought a 45C blast from Africa.
