![]() ![]() While Spahn and Laschet are considered centrists in the Merkel tradition, Merz has tried to appeal to the conservative wing of the party that has flirted with the far-right Alternative for Germany. Armin Laschet, the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, is also being mentioned as a possible contender. A shift to the right in Merkel’s center-right party could trigger a break with Merkel’s junior coalition partners in Germany’s federal government, the center-left Social Democrats, and increase the chances the country will hold the next general election early.Īmong the names currently being bandied around as future party leaders were Health Minister Jens Spahn and Friedrich Merz, who were beaten to the leadership by Kramp-Karrenbauer in December 2018. It was unclear how the latest developments would affect Merkel’s earlier plans for her succession. The move broke what is widely regarded as a taboo in post-war German politics around cooperating with extremist parties.Īnnegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is still Germany’s defense minister. ![]() There regional party lawmakers voted with the far-right Alternative for Germany party to oust the left-wing incumbent, ignoring advice from Berlin leadership. Kramp-Karrenbauer’s announcement reflects the growing split with the Christian Democrats exposed last week in its handling of the election of a governor in the state of Thuringia. ![]() Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin that Germany’s long-time leader stood by her decision not to run for a fifth term in 2021, despite the latest development. BERLIN (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s designated successor unexpectedly threw in the towel Monday, plunging her conservative party into deeper crisis as it struggles to agree on its future political direction after losing votes to the far right.Īnnegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told leading members of the Christian Democratic Union that she won’t be seeking the chancellorship in next year’s election, upending Merkel’s plans to hand her the reins after more than 15 years in power. ![]()
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