Angela Merkel does not want to complete her full term as German chancellor and is planning to resign before elections due in 2017, according to reports.

The German leader is aiming to become the first chancellor to leave of her own accord since 1949, and is interested in a new role as United Nations Secretary-General, or President of the European Council, Spiegel magazine reported.

Such a move would come as a major shock in Germany, where Mrs Merkel remains exceptionally popular with voters after almost nine years in power, and be felt across Europe, where her position as the continent's most powerful leader is undisputed.

In last year's elections, Mrs Merkel pledged she would serve a full term in office, and her spokesman and party colleagues have denied all speculation she may leave office early.

But Spiegel, which is usually well informed about German politics, claims it is well known among her colleagues that she does not want a fourth term, and is considering quitting ahead of the 2017 elections.

"Just about everyone around her, in her party or the cabinet, is convinced she will voluntarily leave office," the magazine said, in a special report ahead of Mrs Merkel's 60th birthday this week.

She is said to be keen to avoid following in the footsteps of former chancellors Helmut Kohl, who was once as unassailable as she is now but suffered a humiliating defeat when he tried to fight an election too many in 1998, and Konrad Adenauer, who was forced out in 1963 by a coup within his own party.

An arch-pragmatist, Mrs Merkel has no major policy or pet project to see through that would keep her in office. Mr Kohl was keen to see through the introduction of the euro.

The roles of UN Secretary-General and President of the European Council will both become available in 2017.

The appointment of a political figure of Mrs Merkel's stature could have a profound effect on either office, and lend it considerably more authority on the world stage.

In particular, if Mrs Merkel became President of the European Council, the body of national leaders that oversees the European Union, it could be seen as turning the job into a de facto President of the EU.

When the office was created in 2009, there was debate over how high-profile it should be. Tony Blair was, at one time, considered a candidate.

Suggestions that Mrs Merkel might want to succeed Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary-General first emerged in May, in a report in a Luxembourg newspaper that got little attention, and was denied by Mrs Merkel's spokesman.

A successor for Mr Ban will be chosen in 2016. By UN convention it is the turn of a European.

When asked in a recent television interview if she would like to be UN Secretary-General in 2018, Mrs Merkel replied: “That will certainly not happen.”

If Mrs Merkel does resign as German chancellor, her successor is widely expected to be Ursula von der Leyen, the first woman to serve as German defence minister.

When Mrs Merkel appointed her last year it was seen as the anointing of her eventual successor, but Ms von der Leyen has been a controversial choice, both criticised and ridiculed for introducing army crèches and flexible working hours to make the military more appealing as a career.

据英国《每日电讯报》7月13日报道，德国总理默克尔打算在2017年大选前辞去总理一职。

在去年的选举中，默克尔承诺她将执政到任期结束，她的发言人和党内同僚也否认了一切关于她将提前离任的猜测。

但是一向深谙德国政治的《明镜周刊》声称，默克尔的同僚们都知道她不想继续第4个任期，并考虑在2017年大选前离任。

该杂志在默克尔本周60岁生日前的专题报道中表示：“默克尔身边的每个人，包括党内和内阁成员，都知道她将自愿离职。”

据说她是为了避免步前总理赫尔穆特•科尔（Helmut Kohl）和康拉德•阿登纳（Konrad Adenauer）的后尘。科尔的地位曾经和默克尔现在一样稳如泰山，但他还是在1998年的大选中落选。而阿登纳1963年因党内政变被迫下台。

作为一名极端的实用主义者，默克尔没有重大的政策或得意的计划能让她继续连任，而科尔曾经还实现了引入欧元的佳绩。

《明镜周刊》表示，默克尔想成为自1949年以来德国第一位自愿离职的总理，并有意接任联合国秘书长或欧洲理事会主席之职。

默克尔此举可能会在德国和整个欧洲引起巨大反响。执政9年后，默克尔在德国仍然十分受选民欢迎，而她在欧洲的领袖地位更是无可争议。

2017年，联合国秘书长和欧洲理事会主席之职都将出现空缺。

任命一位像默克尔一样的政治人物对其中任一机构都有深远影响，将使其在世界舞台上享有更大权威。

特别是如果默克尔成为欧洲理事会主席，那么她差不多就等同于欧盟主席了。

当2009年成立该职位时，人们就其合适人选争论不已。英国首相布莱尔曾被认为是候选人之一。

关于默克尔可能想接替潘基文联合国秘书长之职的猜想首先出现于5月份卢森堡的一份报纸。当时并没有引起太多关注，并被默克尔的发言人予以否认。

潘基文的继任者将于2016年选出。根据联合国公约，此次继任者将轮到欧洲人。

当默克尔在最近一次电视采访中被问及是否想成为2018年的联合国秘书长时，她回答：“这当然不会发生。”

如果默克尔确实提前离任，她的继任者很可能是乌尔苏拉•冯德莱恩（Ursula von der Leyen）。乌尔苏拉是德国第一位女国防部长。

去年默克尔任命乌尔苏拉为国防部长时，就表明她已成为默克尔最终钦定的继任者。但乌尔苏拉一直以来都备受争议。她引入军队托儿所和弹性工作制来使军人成为一种更加有吸引力的职业，为此她饱受批评和嘲讽。