Angela Merkel's hand-picked successor steps down in Germany amid split in ruling party

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Angela Merkel

(Image credit: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the head of Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union party and Chancellor Angela Merkel's designated successor to lead Germany, unexpectedly stepped down as party leader Monday and said she won't seek the chancellorship in next year's election. Kramp-Karrenbauer, a CDU moderate in Merkel's mold, will remain defense minister and stay on as party general secretary until the CDU choose her replacement this summer.

Kramp-Karrenbauer's departure is seen as tied to a fracture in the party thrown into relief in regional elections last week in the eastern state of Thuringia. Some local CDU lawmakers, bucking the national party, voted with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to elect a far-left leader, who then resigned to rid his election of the stain of AfD involvement. Voting with extremist parties like the AfD is taboo in Germany, and any shift to the right in the CDU would alienate the party's junior coalition partner, the center-left Social Democrats.

Potential successors to Kramp-Karrenbauer include Health Minister Jens Spahn and North Rhine-Westphalia Gov. Armin Laschet, both seen as moderates. Also in the running is Friedrich Merz, a CDU veteran sidelined by Merkel before she became chancellor 15 years ago, who is positioning himself to the party's right. Merkel's spokesman said Kramp-Karrenbauer's departure did not have Merkel reconsidering her decision to not seek a fifth term.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.