Merkel Successor’s Stumble Puts Germany’s Direction in Doubt
- Kramp-Karrenbauer has yet to find strong role as CDU leader
- Uncertainty puts succession to chancellorship in the balance
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Five months after Angela Merkel handed over the reins as her party’s leader, the transition to her chosen successor as German chancellor is shrouded in uncertainty, and with it the direction of Europe’s largest economy.
As Merkel’s Christian Democratic-led bloc languishes at or under 30 percent ahead of the May 26 European election, her protege Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer -- known as AKK -- has struggled to fit into her role as party chairwoman, according to three people familiar with the party’s internal discussions.