Germany’s largest party’s future was thrown into doubts after Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced her plans to step down as the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and to not succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor in 2021.
Kramp-Karrenbauer who is commonly known by her initials “AKK” in the German-language media was seen as Merkel’s preferred successor to the German Chancellery. She announced her plans during a meeting of the party’s executive committee on Monday morning.
The CDU leader said she will remain as Defence Minister until the end of the legislative period, while she also stated that her decision will not have an impact on the stability of the governing coalition made up of the CDU, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
The decision came amid the political crisis in the eastern German state of Thuringia, where the regional CDU branch voted against Kramp-Karrenbauer’s wish and joined with the liberals of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to elect Thomas Kemmerich as state premier.
Germany’s now seeking a possible successor to both the CDU and German leadership and a leadership contest is expected to take place in summer. According to Bloomberg‘s report, Merkel has made clear that she plans to play a direct role in choosing her potential successor.
