Coronavirus crisis sees speculation of fifth term for Merkel

After two weeks of home quarantine, German chancellor Angela Merkel returned to work in her Berlin office on Friday, with a popularity jump and speculation of a fifth term. Even as Germany’s coronavirus death toll topped 1,000 on Friday, with more than 82,000 confirmed cases, a new poll shows two-thirds of German voters think her federal government has handled the crisis well or very well. In just a month Merkel’s approval rating has jumped 11 points to 64 per cent, according to the poll for Germany public broadcaster ARD, making her the country’s most popular politician. Her two weeks working from home – a precaution after her doctor tested positive for Covid-19 – has not hurt her ruling...