Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has told senior members of the Christian Democrat party that she plans to run for a fourth term as chancellor in next year's election.

Merkel is widely regarded as a stabilizing force in Europe, particularly amid uncertainty after the UK's referendum to withdraw from the European Union. Leading members of her conservative CDU party are meeting in Berlin on Sunday afternoon to prepare for the party's last annual conference ahead of next September's election.

Merkel has already served 11 years as chancellor of Europe's biggest economy.