Merkel, under German fire, plans a definitive exit in 2021

BERLIN (Reuters) – German Angela Merkel said her fourth term as Chancellor would be her last and that she would step down as the leader of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU), marking the end of the day. 39, a period of 13 years during which she dominated political Europe.

Merkel, chair of the CDU since 2000 and Chancellor since 2005, announced the decision after her party suffered its second setback in the regional elections in as many weeks.

"I have the feeling that today, the time has come to open a new chapter," Serious but serene Merkel told reporters after a meeting of CDU leaders on Monday.

Merkel, 64, made the announcement one day after Sunday's vote in Hesse state, in which the CDU came first, but suffered a crisis from the last elections in 2013.

His authority has already begun this year with the two electoral setbacks and a close ally is losing its role as leader of the Conservatives' parliamentary group.

After the result of the CDU in Hesse and her dissatisfaction with her coalition, she said: "First, at the next congress of the CDU in Hamburg in December, I will not run as a candidate for the presidency of the CDU. "

"Second, this fourth term is my last as German Chancellor. In the federal election of 2021, I will not show up, "she added.

This initiative sets in motion the process by which the CDU can set up and prepare Merkel's successor. The euro fell briefly and German government bond yields rose at the news.

Leaving the presidency of the CDU is undermining Merkel's authority more and more, as she had already said that the party chairman and the chancellery should be detained by the same person.

Merkel has taken a leading role on the European scene since 2005, helping to guide the European Union through the eurozone crisis and opening the doors of Germany to migrants fleeing the war in the Middle East in 2015 – an initiative that still divides the block and Germany.

"We are witnessing the continuation of the scheme in place since Merkel's mistakes during the 2015 migration crisis: the gradual but steady erosion of her political power," said Carsten Nickel, managing director of Teneo, a consulting firm .

"Rather than total instability in Germany and Europe, it simply means maintaining the current void in leadership."

The news on Monday surprised the leaders of the CDU party, who expected Merkel to be re-elected president of the party congress in Hamburg in early December.

Merkel is under pressure from her social-democratic coalition partners to get more political results and the center-left party could still withdraw from the government at a mid-term review next year. .

SUCCESSION COURSE

The shock movement begins the race within the CDU to succeed Merkel and raises questions as to whether she can arrange a smooth outing. The other German Chancellors of the CDU, Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl, had difficulties breaking their mandate.

German newspapers said the decision marked the end of what many saw as a period in the country's history.

In naming the time of her departure, Merkel was designated as "the conductor of events, not the guided person," said the newspaper Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger.

"If everything goes as planned, Merkel ends her term as a historical figure: not only as the first woman of the Chancellery … but as the first German head of government on her own, not in her own right. filing in a scandal, "he added.

Merkel's decision will allow a new president of the CDU to take shape before the next national elections. She said that CDU party secretary-general Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Health Minister Jens Spahn, one of her key critics, had announced their intention to seek the party presidency. .

According to party sources, Friedrich Merz, former parliamentary leader of Merkel's conservative alliance, is also a candidate.

Armin Laschet, who, as the conservative prime minister of the 17 million inhabitants of North Rhine-Westphalia, the largest country in Germany, would be a favorite in all races, also refused to deviate. He only said that the party had to decide on its direction before choosing its new direction.

Merkel's weakness at home could limit her ability to lead the European Union at a time when the EU is addressing Brexit, a fiscal crisis in Italy and the prospect of winning populist parties in the May European Parliament elections. next.

When Merkel took office in 2005, George W. Bush was American President, Jacques Chirac was at the Elysee Palace in Paris and Tony Blair was British Prime Minister.