There will be no fifth term: Merkel leaves politics
German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed that she will not run for the post of head of the cabinet in the next elections in 2021, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
She stated this on Monday at a press conference in Berlin, Deutsche Welle reports.
“The fourth term as chancellor is my last,” she noted. “In 2021, I will not be a candidate for the position of chancellor and will not be seeking a seat in the Bundestag.”
“I’m saying for the record that I will no longer hold any political office at all,” she added.
Merkel also confirmed that she will no longer stand as a candidate for the post of chairman of the Christian Democratic Union. “At the next CDU congress in December, I will not apply for the position of party chairman,” she said.
At the same time, Merkel expressed her readiness to fully perform the functions of head of government, despite her upcoming departure from the post of chairman of the CDU. “I am ready to continue working as chancellor until 2021,” she said.
The politician has headed the CDU since 2000 and the government since 2005. Her refusal to lead means an internal party race to succeed Merkel as chancellor. In March, Merkel was elected to this post for the fourth time in a row, her powers expire in 2021.
According to BILD, Merkel's decision is linked to the CDU's dramatic loss of votes in the elections in the state of Hesse. According to preliminary data, the Christian Democratic Union party received 27% of the votes in the elections in Hesse, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) - 19,8%, the Greens - 19,8%, Alternative for Germany - 13,1 %, Free Democratic Party (FDP) - 7,5%, "Left" - 6,3%.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.