As Merkel Heads for the Exit, Here’s Who’s Lining Up to Replace Her
The race is on to succeed Germany’s chancellor as she prepares to leave the political stage
This article is for subscribers only.
Angela Merkel’s decision to step down as leader of the Christian Democratic Union and end her political career when her current term as chancellor expires in 2021 throws open the race to succeed her after 13 years in power.
With six weeks before a party convention in Hamburg, the political jockeying has already begun. Close ally Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, conservative upstart Jens Spahn and former foe Friedrich Merz plan to run for CDU chief — a position that would give them the inside track to eventually become the party’s candidate for chancellor. But the list of contenders is likely to grow ahead of the December meeting.