German Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered two shaking attacks in eight days, but she says she is “fine” after the two public episodes have sparked concerns about her health.
Speaking at the G20 summit in Osaka, Angela Merkel said she was convinced that “this reaction will disappear just as it has arisen”, German news agency DPA said.
Asked what lay behind it and whether she had seen a doctor, Angela Merkel said she had “nothing in particular to report”.
On June 27, the German chancellor was seen shaking for two minutes at a ceremony in Berlin.
Angela Merkel, who turns 65 next month, gripped her arms until she became steadier. She was offered a glass of water but did not drink it.
The previous incident – which she later blamed on dehydration – saw her shaking while standing next to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in hot sunshine.
In 2017, Angela Merkel had an earlier bout of shaking in hot weather on a visit to Mexico as she was attending a military honors ceremony.
Reports said that subsequent medical checks had found nothing to be wrong.
Government spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted a video of the chancellor making a speech covering topics such as extremism, women’s empowerment and climate change. It showed her standing and speaking in a relaxed manner.
Angela Merkel is now in her fourth term as chancellor, a role she began in November 2005. She has said she will leave politics when her current term ends in 2021.
She has a reputation for remarkable stamina – during intensive late-night discussions at EU summits, for example.
Angela has been in good health while in office, and even worked from home after a knee operation in 2011. She suffered a fall while skiing in 2014. Her absences were only brief on those occasions. Her mother died earlier this year.
