This article is more than
5 year oldGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel was seen shaking uncontrollably again today amid growing fears for her health.
The Sun reports that she appeared to tremble as she received the Finnish PM Antti Rinne in Berlin.
It is the third time in as many weeks Merkel has looked unsteady at official engagements, sparking fears for her health.
On June 27 she gripped her trembling arms and pursed her lips at a ceremony in Berlin — nine days after footage emerged of her shaking for a whole minute.
On previous occasions she has blamed her unsteadiness on overheating or dehydration.
But the temperature in Berlin today only reached a mild 18C.
Mrs Merkel was last spotted shaking as she stood alongside President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at an indoor event where Germany’s new justice minister was formally appointed.
She seemed to grimace as she clutched her arms, apparently in an effort to hide the shakes.
Mrs Merkel, 64, was handed a glass of water but rejected it, and appeared fine when she arrived in parliament half an hour later.
Her spokesman later said she was OK and would attend the G20 summit in Japan.He said: “Everything is taking place as planned. The chancellor is well.”
Aides blamed dehydration for her last bout of shakes and dismissed health worries — but the fresh video today is likely to renew speculation over her future as leader.
Mrs Merkel — 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.
On June 18, Mrs Merkel’s whole body shook as she stood outside in 28C weather alongside Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky.
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.”
Mr Zelensky, 41, said he would have come to her rescue if necessary, insisting her health is not a matter of concern.
Reports in Germany say she has been seen shaking before, especially in the sun.
In 2014, she postponed a TV interview at the last minute because she felt weak.
Merkel 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 PM — until 2021.
This article originally appeared in The Sun and is republished here with permission
Newer articles