This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/10/angela-merkel-seen-shaking-for-third-time

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Angela Merkel seen shaking for third time in a month Angela Merkel seen shaking for third time in a month
(32 minutes later)
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has had another trembling spell, the third in public in less than a month, which has raised questions about her health. Angela Merkel has insisted she is in good health after experiencing a third bout of shaking in as many weeks at a public event in Berlin.
Merkel began shaking involuntarily as national anthems were being played at the reception of the Finnish prime minister, Antti Rinne, on Wednesday. The German chancellor was seen trembling during military honours for Finland’s prime minister, Antti Rinne, in the forecourt of her chancellory on Wednesday morning.
The shaking was less severe than during the first episode in June. On that occasion she appeared unsteady and shook as she stood in the midday sun next to the visiting Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, whom she was welcoming with military honours. The bout of shaking was said to be less intense than in the previous two instances, and stopped when Merkel moved her body.
“I am doing fine and you should not worry,” she said in a press conference after the meeting, adding that she was going through a phase of psychologically “processing” her first shaking episode last month.
Merkel’s public bouts of shaking have fuelled speculation about her health. On 18 June, she was seen involuntarily shaking during military honours for the visiting Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. She later appeared to blame dehydration, saying she felt better after drinking some water.
She was seen going through a similar bout just a week later, during an appointment with the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at Bellevue Palace in Berlin.
Citing government circles, the newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten said at the time that Merkel’s trembling had been triggered by the memory of the previous shaking bout, calling it a “psychological process”.
“I have already said that I am going through a phase of processing the recent military honours with President Zelenskiy,” the German chancellor said on Wednesday. “This appears not to be quite finished yet, but I am making progress and will have to live with it for a while.”
The chancellor was also seen shaking during military honours in humid conditions in Mexico City on a visit in 2017.
Angela Merkel seen shaking for second time in just over a weekAngela Merkel seen shaking for second time in just over a week
The first bout of shaking was blamed on dehydration, but a second episode struck a week later at the end of June, just hours before she was due to board a plane for the G20 summit in Japan. The 64-year-old’s work ethic and stamina during late-night negotiations has become the stuff of legend since she became chancellor in 2005. She once prided herself on having a “camel-like” capacity to store up sleep.
Officials had sought then to play down fears over her health, with her spokesman saying that she would not cancel any planned engagements. Partially as a result, the three televised moments of weakness have fuelled speculation about whether the chancellor’s intense work schedule is beginning to take its toll.
Merkel, who turns 65 in a week, has always enjoyed relatively robust health. While coverage of the first shaking bout in German media was initially restrained, newspaper columns have since filled with medical experts speculating about the cause of Merkel’s trembling.
Frequently called the European Union’s most influential leader and the most powerful woman in the world, Merkel has said she will leave politics at the end of her term, in 2021. Germany’s Green party co-leader Annalena Baerbock suggested that Merkel’s shaking episodes were connected to climate change, saying at a press conference that “regarding the hot temperatures, we can see from the chancellor it is clear that this summer climate has health consequences.” She later apologised for her comments.
Angela MerkelAngela Merkel
GermanyGermany
EuropeEurope
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content