Angela Merkel to step down as German chancellor in 2021
Germany's Angela Merkel says she will step down as chancellor in 2021, following recent election setbacks. "I will not be seeking any political post after my term ends," she told a news conference in Berlin.
Her CDU party was severely weakened in elections in the state of Hesse on Sunday, the latest poor performance by parties in her coalition government. She also said she would not seek reelection as CDU leader in December. She has held the post since 2000.
She said she took "full responsibility" for recent election setbacks. Merkel has been chair of the CDU since 2000, becoming one of its longest-serving chairpersons.
She has led Germany as chancellor since 2005 - and wants to stay in that post. Merkel has reportedly told CDU party leaders that she will step aside from the leadership election bid after the centre-right party and the centre-left SPD both took a hit in ballots in Hesse state at the weekend. However, she said that she would like to remain chancellor, local media report.
This would be in contrast to Merkel's previous position, in which she has linked the party leadership role to the chancellorship - meaning that she would only remain chancellor if she was party leader. The BBC's Jenny Hill, in Berlin, says the latest setback comes amid a terrible year for the chancellor where her coalition government has lurched unhappily from crisis to crisis.
However, the battle scarred Merkel is a political survivor - our correspondent adds - and renouncing the leadership of her party might just silence critics within her own ranks, for now.
Possible contenders include Health Minister Jens Spahn, who has publicly criticised her open-door refugee policy and is championed by the CDU's social conservatives; Ralph Brinkhaus, a fiscal hawk who unexpectedly ousted Dr Merkel's longtime parliamentary caucus leader; and Ms Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, her hand-picked party general secretary who is often cited as her most likely successor.
Others include two state premiers, Armin Laschet and Daniel Guenther, who carry weight after recently leading the CDU to victory in regional elections.
