With all due respect I would suggest that Merkel will not pay any price whatsoever.  It will be the people of Germany who pay the bill for this.  Re-elected or not, Merkel will be safe and sound behind the secure walls of privilege reserved for those in power who make the decisions that impact the day to day lives of those they "represent".  In short, she can do whatever the hell she wants and then walk away never having to deal with the consequences.