German Chancellor Merkel suffers third shaking spell

BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel once again visibly suffered a shaking spell while she received Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne here on Wednesday.

Despite this being the third shaking bout in roughly three weeks, the German chancellor said she was doing well and reassured journalists that "you do not have to worry."

Merkel rejected doubts concerning her ability to continue her work as head of the German government, noting that "I am very firmly convinced that I am entirely capable of performing."

The deputy spokesperson for the German government, Ulrike Demmer, denied Merkel's health problems, reiterating several times during a press conference that "the chancellor is doing well."

According to German government sources, Merkel's shaking was a psychological issue. The German chancellor herself justified the shaking on Wednesday by claiming that she was still in the "processing phase" of her first seizure around three weeks ago.

"This is obviously not yet complete, but progress is being made," Merkel said, referring to her first shaking episode when she met visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which was attributed to heat and dehydration.

Nine days later, Merkel suffered another bout during the appointment ceremony of the new German Minister of Justice, Christine Lambrecht, at Bellevue Castle.

After the first two bouts of shaking, the German chancellor told journalists on the fringes of the G20 summit in Japan at the end of June that she was doing well. "I am convinced -- just as the reaction has occurred, it will also pass."

Asked about the trembling fits, Merkel said that "I have nothing special to report. I am fine."