Merkel confirms she leaves politics

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she has no plans to continue in active politics after the next Bundestag election in 2021.

During a live town-hall-style event with local newspaper Ostsee Zeitung, the long-time German leader was asked what she plans to do when she leaves office.

"I will remain a political person, but I won't have an active political office," Politico cited her as saying.

She said this includes at the EU level, saying those jobs are "already allocated."

Merkel announced late last year that she would not seek re-election when her term comes to an end in 2021. With 14 years in office, she is one of Germany's longest-serving chancellors, guiding the country through the 2008 global financial crisis and more recently the 2015 refugee crisis, which caused her to lose support amid opposition to her open-door policy.