Merkel says her conservatives face hard battle after 16 years in power

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks as she takes part in a news conference after attending a European People's Party (EPP) meeting in Berlin, Germany, September 9, 2021. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

BERLIN (Reuters) -Angela Merkel said on Thursday nobody in her conservative bloc ever doubted that they faced a tough battle to hold the chancellery after her 16 years in office, declining to speculate on the outcome of Germany's Sept. 26 national election.

"That after 16 years one does not automatically ... return to the chancellery, that was clear to everyone in the CDU and CSU," she told a news conference, adding she anticipated a closely fought election.