Angela Merkel to face stormy times during 4th term as German leader

BERLIN — Angela Merkel is embarking on her fourth term as German chancellor in stormy times, facing pressure to bolster a fractious European Union and prove that liberal democracy can succeed as she faces a trade standoff with an increasingly protectionist U.S. and a confident China and Russia.

Merkel, chancellor since 2005 and the EU’s longest-serving leader, was sworn in Wednesday at the head of a “grand coalition” of Germany’s biggest parties. That put an end to nearly six months of drift after September’s election, during which Germany’s voice in the world has been weakened by the domestic political impasse.