Germany: Merkel's race for succession has begun. | World

The race to replace Angela Merkel in the leadership of the conservative party and eventually in all of Germany began yesterday after the announcement of the gradual withdrawal of power from the Chancellor.

Competition should be so intense that many doubt the ability of the oldest leader in Western Europe to remain in the Chancellery until the end of his term in 2021.

"Merkel's leadership is over," is the title of Bild. "Merkel's season is coming to an end", says Suddeutsce Zeitung on her first page.

In power for 13 years, Angela Merkel was forced to retire political yesterday after the multiple defeat of her party in local elections, the vote in the state of Hesse, which confirmed its decline in popularity at the national level, mainly because of immigration policy.

Merkel announced that her current term, ending in 2021, would be the last and would be withdrawn in December by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

The risk

This is an important political risk for her, because with a party called to disintegrate very quickly, Ms. Merkel is likely to be very weak, both at national level and at European level.

Wolfgang Schäuble, President of the German Parliament, summed up in a speech last night to Deutsche Welle: "This legislature will last another three years, we will see if it is the case".

"This is probably not as strong today as the culmination of a successful career, it is clear after the results of the last elections," he added. .

In this juncture, "how long can Merkel stay?", Queries Magazine Der Spiegel. "When power begins to flee, it can be controlled too quickly," he said, expressing doubts about the Chancellor's ability to stay in power until 2021.

The leader of the first European economy will take the first step towards resignation at his party's December conference, leaving the presidency after 18 years of leadership of the CDU.

Suicides

Three candidates have already announced their willingness to run for the leadership of the conservative party, including Angerett Kramp-Karenbauer and Health Minister Genes Span. Other candidates are likely to get going. As the head of the stronghold of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Lbadett.

The Chancellor did not want to appoint her successor. The new (or new) president will be elected by a thousand delegates who will meet on 7 and 8 December in Hamburg.

Angeret Kramp-Karenbauer or "AKK" is considered a political continuum, a Delfin, by Angela Merkel. The two women share a rather centered political line.

On the contrary, the 38-year-old General Span supports the party's turn to the right and leads the internal opposition to Angela Merkel. has not stopped criticizing its immigration policy, but in the eyes of some executives, it lacks experience.

Friedrich Merts, the third person who announced his intention to run for office, was once a rising star of the party, a supporter of a very conservative political line, decided to jump into the arena, though He left the political scene because of his rigorous rivalry with Merkel.

For Michael Kretsmerer, Prime Minister of Saxony, critic of the Chancellor, particularly in terms of immigration policy, and faced with a very strong extreme right in his region, the departure of Angela Merkel is in any case "a chance for a new start "for the party.

_{Source: RES-EAP}