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Berlin.- German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday precipitated her withdrawal from politics by announcing by surprise that she was giving up her re-election to the presidency of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and to her seat at the Parliament, although she will remain prime minister in Berlin until the end of her current term in 2021.
"I was not born Chancellor, I never forgot it.Today is the day of the opening of a new chapter," said the President at the same time. a press conference in the German capital.
"I will not run for the presidency of the CDU, and secondly, this fourth term will be my last term as Chancellor," said Merkel, who has headed the government for 13 years and 18 years as head of state. CDU.
His resignation to be presented at the head of the CDU at the Federal Congress, which will take place in Hamburg in December, is not only a 180-degree change in his traditional speech, but this setback also marks the beginning of the end from "the Merkel era". "
"In the general elections of 2021, I will not run as a Chancellor, or as a Member of Parliament, or any other political position," he added, in an attempt to dispel any hypothesis concerning a possible future in European organizations in Brussels. "But for the rest of the legislature, I am willing to continue as Chancellor," he said.
Merkel, 64, has announced his decision only one day after his party was severely punished during the elections in the regional elections in Hesse, in the west of the country.
This Sunday was the second setback that the conservative formation has added in just 15 days, as in mid-October its Bavarian brother party, the Christian Socialist Union (CSU), had lost an absolute majority of the prosperous Land of south of Germany.
The two blocking elections encouraged the leader to communicate, a week earlier than planned, a decision he had already made before the summer holidays in Europe. "These elections should be seen as a turning point and this turning point can also bring opportunities," he insisted.
The mediocre results in the regional elections, during which its junior partner in the government – the Social Democratic Party (SPD) – also collapsed, were interpreted as an expression of the discontent of the population with regard to of Berlin politics.
In her speech, the leader recalled that, although he had always reunited the party presidency with the post of head of the Chancery, the bad results of the elections in Hesse and Bavaria, as well as the crises that affected his government, which began its fourth term in March, led him to change his mind.
"It is a risk, but after weighing the pros and the cons, I came to the conclusion that taking the risk was justified," he said immediately after, noting that the separation of powers would allow it to focus its efforts on the work of the government and this would give your party some leeway to rethink its future strategy.
"For 18 years, I've been president of the CDU (…) and for 13 years, Chancellor of Germany, which for me is a daily honor and also a challenge," he said. he declares.
In this regard, French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the "extremely dignified" and "respectable" decision of the German Chancellor.
"It's your decision, I think it's extremely respectable," said the French president.
"Merkel has never forgotten the values of Europe and she drove her country with great courage," said Macron, who said he felt "admiration" for his German counterpart and worry about a context "uncomfortable". the advance of the far right in Germany.
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