Merkel's conservatives meet to prepare for "toughest" election
ESSEN- Chancellor Angela Merkel will rally her conservatives at a party conference on Tuesday to gird for a German election next year that she expects to be "tough like no other".
Seeking a fourth term in office, Merkel must unite her Christian Democrats (CDU) and try to recapture some of her personal popularity, undermined by the crises that have rocked Europe.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's referendum defeat on Sunday and the impending departure of French President Francois Hollande underline Merkel's status as Europe's most experienced leader, but she needs to win back disgruntled voters at home.
The CDU has seen its support eroded by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has profited from popular concern about the infux into Germany last year of around a million migrants, many fleeing war in the Middle East.
