Two thirds of Germans want Merkel to serve out full term, poll shows

Some two thirds of Germans don't want to see Chancellor Angela Merkel throw in the towel as the country's leader before her term ends in autumn 2021.

Sixty-seven per cent of respondents said they don't want to see Merkel, who has been at Germany's helm since 2005, go early, in a survey of voters carried out by pollsters Forsa and published on Monday.

By comparison, 29 per cent of those surveyed said Merkel should leave before her time is up.

The proportion of German voters who wish to see the centre-right politician finish her last term has risen by 12 percentage points since February 2018.

Forsa boss Manfred Guellner told the RTL media group that there was no sign of a "Merkel twilight" in 2019.

"On the contrary: In light of critical develoments in the world, a majority of German citizens see no alternative to Merkel," he said.