Tag: Christian Democratic Union of Germany

Merkel announced that she will not be seeking any political posts after her term as chancellor ends in 2021. I will not be seeking any political posts after the current terms ends in 2021," she added, in what was the first confirmation from the German leader that she will step down after being in power since 2005. The announcement follows a disappointing regional election in the state of Hesse on Sunday. "It is worth noting at this point that the chancellor is elected by the Bundestag (German Parliament) while the leader of the CDU is elected by CDU party members. A regional election in the German state of Hesse delivered another political blow to Merkel on Sunday, with more voters fleeing to the left and right. Merkel's CDU party and her coalition partner in Berlin, the Social Democratic Party, saw heavy losses in the state of Hesse on Sunday. The SPD saw its support fall from 30.7 percent in 2013 to 19.8 percent in the vote. Meanwhile, the Greens gained 19.7 percent (up from 11.1 percent) and the AfD was seen with 13.2 percent of the vote, tripling its vote share from 2013 and allowing it to enter parliament for the first time. Meanwhile, Kal Klose, chairman of the Greens party in Hesse, told CNBC that the regional election had shown that "the people don't like the style of how the grand coalition works." "The underlying dynamic in German politics is twofold," Nickel continued in his note.

The German leader has also ruled out standing for a senior position within the EU with speculation growing she wants to quit politics completely. Angela Merkel’s party, the Christian Democratic Union, suffered a 10 percent slump in the polls yesterday, to win just 28 percent of the vote in the central German state elections. CDU sources said Mrs Merkel has told her party she will not stand as a candidate for Chancellor or MP after 2021 but she has not announced what her long term plans are. During a CDU leadership meeting this morning, Mrs Merkel said she wanted to remain Chancellor until 2021. Mrs Merkel has been leader of the CDU since 2000, and Chancellor for 13 years, a period which has seen her dominate EU and world politics.. She has also ruled out running for a senior position in the European Union after the European parliament elections next year, members of her Christian Democrats (CDU) conservative party said. While Mr Merz is ready to put his name forward for CDU leader, Mrs Merkel's rumoured preferred successor is the party's secretary general Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer who has already announced her intention to stand. Mrs Merkel has suffered a series of regional election setbacks which have undermined her authority and last weekend's results from the western state of Hesse were the final blow which left her with no choice but to quit. They polled fourth with more than 13 percent of the vote in their first election since forming in 2013. "Secondly, this fourth term is my last as German chancellor. "At the federal election in 2021, I will not stand again as chancellor candidate, nor as a candidate for the Bundestag, and I won't seek any further political offices."

On Sunday, 68 per cent of the members of the Social Democrats (SPD) voted for another Grand Coalition with Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union CDU (and Christian Social Union in Bavaria). Some have remarked that hers was a quiet power, that she changed the style of politics in the German Federal Republic. Before Merkel became Chancellor in 2005, no woman had held high political office. It is often overlooked that West Germany effectively banned women’s right to choose before the unification of Germany in 1990. On her watch, Germany became a more social democracy – with small “s”. The late Guido Westerwelle became Germany’s first openly gay Cabinet Minister when he served as Merkel’s foreign secretary between 2009 and 2013. But what is most remarkable is the near dominance of women in the two largest parties. After an internal jockeying for position, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was chosen as the new Secretary General of the CDU. In Germany, politics is a feminist issue. Matthew Qvortrup’s book Angela Merkel: Europe’s Most Influential Leader is published by Duckworth.