Merkel: We stand by the 'Spitzenkandidat' system, but it's complicated

German Chancellor Merkel attends a session at the Bundestag, the lower house of German parliament in Berlin

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government still supports the 'Spitzenkandidat' system for appointing the new president of the European Commission, but it is proving complicated to implement, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday.

Merkel was addressing German legislators after a summit of European leaders failed to agree on who to appoint to a raft of top European Union jobs.

Manfred Weber, a Merkel ally who as lead candidate of the party that won the most seats in the European Parliament would have a claim on the post, is opposed by several national leaders.

"The situation is complicated," Merkel said.

(Reporting by Paul Carrel; Writing by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Michelle Martin)