Merkel reelected as chairman of CDU party

German Chancellor and leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union party CDU Angela Merkel reacts after her speech at the CDU party convention in Essen, Germany, December 6, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

BERLIN -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday was reelected chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at the annual convention of the party with a support rate of 89.5 percent, paving the way for her to seek a new term of chancellorship.

"I accept the election outcome and am pleased with the result. Thank you for the trust," Merkel said after the vote.

However, the 89.5 percent support rate she got at the convention in German city of Essen was the second lowest for her to be elected chairman of the center-right party, only slightly higher than the 88.4 percent in 2004.

In her speech to the nearly 1,000 delegates at the annual convention of the party, Merkel had committed her party to a tough federal election campaign in the coming year.

"You have to help me. No one can turn things around in Germany, in Europe, in the world alone, especially not a chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany," said Merkel.

A situation like the late summer 2015, the high point of the refugee crisis, "can, may and should not repeat itself," Merkel added.

She emphasized that people who need protection should be granted protection. However, the CDU leader also demanded more integration "without exception" on the basis of "the laws of our country."