BERLIN (AP) — Angela Merkel set off Monday on what could be a three-year countdown to the end of her leadership of Germany, a stint that has made her the European Union's longest-serving leader and a key figure in facing the continent's many crises.

Merkel announced that she will give up the leadership of her conservative Christian Democratic Union in December and won't stand for a fifth term as chancellor — signaling the beginning of the end at the helm for the woman many had labeled the "leader of the free world."

That's a title she herself objected to, saying leadership is never up to one person or country. But she has been a stalwart face of Western democracy through turbulent times, including the European debt crisis, the migrant influx of 2015, Britain's decision to leave the EU and escalating trade tensions with the United States.

With her announcement, she indicated she has no intention of shirking from the "major foreign policy challenges" ahead, suggesting by taking the question of her future out of the picture her often rancorous coalition might govern better.

"With this decision, I am trying to contribute to allowing the government to concentrate its strength, finally, on governing well — and people rightly demand that," Merkel said.

Merkel, 64, has led the CDU since 2000 and Germany since 2005. She governs Germany in a "grand coalition" of what traditionally has been the country's biggest parties — the CDU, Bavaria's conservative Christian Social Union and the center-left Social Democrats.

She announced her decision the day after voters punished both her CDU and the Social Democrats in an election in the central state of Hesse. It came two weeks after a similar debacle for the CSU and Social Democrats in neighboring Bavaria.

Her announcement comes amid growing concerns about far-right nationalist parties making inroads in Europe, including Germany. Sunday's result in Hesse means that the Alternative for Germany party now holds seats in every state legislature and federal parliament.

Many in Europe also have looked to Merkel as U.S. President Donald Trump has increasingly called into question traditional trans-Atlantic ties with his announcements of trade tariffs, repeated criticism of European contributions to NATO, and other issues. Merkel has walked a fine line, criticizing some of Trump's decisions while emphasizing that a good relationship with Washington is "central" to her government.

At the moment, it is still too early to tell whether she will be able to govern effectively as a lame-duck chancellor, or if it will strengthen her coalition, said Thorsten Faas, political science professor at Berlin's Free University.

"The pressure obviously was so great that there was no other solution left," he said. "It will be interesting to see what happens now, because this is initiating a dynamic, the outcome of which is unforeseeable today."

For her part, Merkel said she sees "many more opportunities than risks for our country, the German government and also my party" in setting a transition of power in motion.

She said she hopes to open the way for "new success for the CDU" by letting it prepare for her departure as chancellor, and she won't interfere with the choice of a successor.

Carsten Brzeski, an economist at ING-DiBa in Frankfurt, said Merkel's move "holds the potential for positive developments."

"Not so much because new is always better but rather because it could give Merkel the freedom and the tail wind — freed from party ties — to put a final stamp on her legacy, possibly with bolder steps to reform the German economy and the monetary union," he said.

Merkel will now concentrate on smoothing over the differences in her government to keep it running until the end of the parliamentary term in 2021, which is far from guaranteed. The Social Democrats only reluctantly joined her coalition in March, and another crisis or an already-agreed midterm review next fall could spell its end.

The Social Democrats' leader, Andrea Nahles, said she hopes the CDU leadership contest will end arguments within Merkel's bloc about its direction and leaders. If things go well, "it could have a positive effect for us and our work together."

Two prominent candidates immediately threw their hats in the ring: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, the party's general secretary, who is viewed as a Merkel ally and largely backs her centrist approach; and Health Minister Jens Spahn, 38, an ambitious conservative who has talked tough on migration and has criticized Merkel.

Another more conservative figure, Friedrich Merz, also reportedly planned to seek the leadership. Merz lost his post as the party's parliamentary leader to Merkel in 2002 and has been absent from front-line politics in recent years.

It had been widely assumed this would be Merkel's final term in office, but the comments were the chancellor's first public confirmation.

Merkel's predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, stepped down as leader of his Social Democrats in 2004 but remained chancellor until narrowly losing a re-election bid 18 months later.

Merkel said she has been mulling her decision for months. Her one-time mentor, Helmut Kohl, sought a fifth term in 1998 and lost power after 16 years.

Merkel has dragged the CDU to the political center, dropping military conscription and abruptly accelerating the shutdown of Germany's nuclear power plants following Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011.

She swung her conservatives behind bailouts for Greece and other struggling eurozone nations, striking a balance between calls for a strict approach at home and more generosity abroad.

In one of her most debated moves, Merkel allowed large numbers of migrants and asylum-seekers into Germany in 2015, many of them fleeing the fighting in Syria, before gradually pivoting to a more restrictive approach.

That decision has led to lasting tensions in her conservative Union bloc, particularly with Bavaria's CSU, and helped the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party gain support. At the other end of the spectrum, the traditionally left-leaning Greens also have gained.</s>BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s Angela Merkel says this will be her final term as chancellor, she won’t run in 2021.</s>Angela Merkel told her conservative party on Monday that she intends to step down as its leader but remain Germany’s chancellor following a pair of state election debacles, German media reported.

Merkel had previously indicated that she planned to seek another two-year term as leader of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at a party congress in December, but appeared to be moving quickly to acknowledge pressure for renewal.

Merkel has led the CDU since 2000 and has been Germany’s chancellor since 2005.

News agency cited unidentified party sources as saying Merkel told an ongoing CDU leadership meeting that she is prepared to step down as party leader but intends to remain chancellor. The mass-circulation daily also reported that she said she will not run again as party leader.

Merkel’s predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, stepped down as leader of his centre-left Social Democrats in 2004 as his government struggled, but remained chancellor. For years, Merkel insisted that the chancellor should also be party leader.

Merkel currently governs Germany in a “grand coalition” of what traditionally have been the country’s biggest parties – the CDU, its Bavaria-only sister, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democrats. Her fourth-term government took office only in March but has become notorious for squabbling.

Sunday’s election in the central state of Hesse saw both Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union and the centre-left Social Democrats lose significant ground, while there were gains for both the Greens and the far-right Alternative for Germany. Merkel’s party managed an unimpressive win, narrowly salvaging a majority for its regional governing coalition with the Greens.

Angela Merkel’s troubles mount as her party appears to stumble in German regional elections

The debacle followed a battering in a state election in Bavaria two weeks ago for the CSU and the Social Democrats.

The Social Democrats’ leader, Andrea Nahles, demanded on Sunday a “clear, binding timetable” for implementing government projects before the coalition faces an already agreed midterm review next fall.

Nahles declined to comment on Monday on the reports that Merkel might step down as CDU leader. The chancellor was expected to hold a news conference later on Monday.</s>BERLIN (Reuters) - Angela Merkel has told members of her Christian Democrats (CDU) she wanted to serve her full term as German chancellor until 2021, several people told Reuters on Monday.

Merkel also said she would not seek reelection as chancellor or as a conservative lawmaker in the Bundestag parliament after her term ends, party sources said.</s>BERLIN, Oct 30 — Angela Merkel yesterday announced she will quit as German chancellor when her mandate ends in 2021, as she sought to curtail a series of political crises that have rocked her fragile coalition.

Often described as the world’s most powerful woman and Europe’s de facto leader, Merkel said she hoped her planned departure would end fighting within her coalition and allow it to focus on governing.

“Today, it is time to begin a new chapter,” she told reporters at her party headquarters.

Referring to detrimental coalition quibbling, Merkel noted that “the picture that the government is sending out is unacceptable.”

Electoral drubbings like the one on Sunday in the western state of Hesse were “a watershed, but in them could lie a chance” for Germany’s mainstream political parties including her own to find a way forward, she said.

The 64-year-old chancellor will stagger her political exit by first giving up the leadership of her Christian Democratic Union after 18 years, when the position comes up for reelection in December.

Merkel, who has led Germany for 13 years, said that she would neither stand in the country’s next elections nor seek to renew her mandate as chancellor when her fourth term ends in 2021.

At least four candidates declared their interest in Merkel’s job after she made her stunning announcement.

But she named no successor.

“I will accept any democratic decision taken by my party,” she said.

Merkel has long held the support of Germans as a guarantor of stability and prosperity, having steered Germany through financial crises and kept Europe’s biggest economy humming, with unemployment striking post-reunification record lows month after month.

But her power began to wane in 2015 after she decided to keep Germany’s borders open at the height of Europe’s migrant crisis, ultimately allowing in more than one million asylum seekers.

The mass arrivals left Germany deeply polarised and fuelled the rise of the far-right, essentially redrawing the country’s political landscape.

Railing against the newcomers, the anti-immigrant AfD is now the biggest opposition party in the Bundestag, and after a strong showing in Hesse now has seats in all German state parliaments.

Anxious to stem the haemorrhage of voters to the AfD, Merkel’s conservative Bavarian allies CSU had championed hardline immigration and openly attacked her, all of which ended up alienating moderate voters.

The CSU’s strategy also sat poorly with the third party in Merkel’s uneasy coalition, the Social Democrats, which sent the government lurching from crisis to crisis.

AfD leader Joerg Meuthen hailed Merkel’s planned departure as “good news”, as the party took credit for the earthquake in German politics.

The daily Sueddeutsche Seitung praised Merkel for her decision, saying the leader who has always been “sober, to the point of being cold” with the political careers of others, has “stayed true to herself”.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who has a good working relationship with Merkel, hailed her “extremely dignified” decision.

Several key CDU figures now hope to succeed her, including party general secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and ambitious health minister Jens Spahn, a frequent Merkel critic.

And Merkel, dubbed the “eternal chancellor”, might not get to choose her own timetable for stepping down, as her departure could be hastened if the SPD brings down the government before 2021.

Following Sunday’s hammering at the polls in Hesse, the second consecutive drubbing after a vote in Bavaria two weeks ago, SPD chief Andrea Nahles warned that her party might pull the plug.

Nahles nonetheless voiced respect for Merkel’s decision, saying the veteran leader has done “an extraordinary service” to the CDU.

The question now is whether by offering herself up as a lightning rod, Merkel will deflect the disapproval that sent voters towards other parties.

Merkel’s first step towards the exit will certainly be felt across the European Union, where she has been an unflappable bulwark against global crises, Brexit and an unpredictable ally in the United States.

Despite her global standing, Merkel said she has no plans to seek a post in the European Commission after bowing out of German politics, quashing speculation to that effect in Brussels. — AFP</s>Angela Merkel has reportedly told her party that she is prepared to step down as its leader but remain as German chancellor.

Angela Merkel has reportedly told her party that she is prepared to step down as its leader but remain as German chancellor.

Germany’s Angela Merkel wants to give up party leadership - but remain chancellor

News agency dpa cited unidentified party sources in its report as the leadership of Mrs Merkel's party met following a state election in which both her conservative Christian Democratic Union and its partners in the national government, the centre-left Social Democrats, lost significant ground.

Mass-circulation daily Bild reported, citing sources in the CDU leadership, that Mrs Merkel said she would not run again for the party leadership.

Mrs Merkel's predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, stepped down as leader of his party in 2004 but remained chancellor.</s>BERLIN, Oct 29 — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told leaders of her Christian Democrats (CDU) that she will not seek re-election as party chairwoman at a conference in early December, a senior party source said.

Merkel has been CDU chairwoman since 2000 and giving up the role would start a race within the party to succeed her as chancellor. — Reuters</s>LONDON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - The euro fell briefly and German government bond yields rose on Monday, after a report that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told leaders of her Christian Democrats (CDU) that she will not seek re-election as party chairwoman in December.

Merkel has been CDU chairwoman since 2000 and giving up the role would start a race within the party to succeed her as chancellor.

The euro fell as much as 0.4 percent to the day’s low of $1.1361 after the news. It later erased some of those losses to trade down 0.1 percent at $1.1389, roughly where it stood before the report.

The euro zone’s leading stock index rose 0.7 percent by 0941 GMT and Germany’s DAX gained 1.1 percent. Both indices benefit from a weaker euro helping exporters.

German bond yields extended their rise, with the 10-year Bund yield last up almost 4 bps at 0.39 percent.

“This news would signal the quality of German credit would deteriorate because markets are extrapolating from the results of the weekend state election to conclude that the next government will have a bigger populist portion to it,” said Mizuho rates strategist Peter Chatwell. (Reporting by Dhara Ranasinghe, Tommy Wilkes and Helen Reid, Editing by Abhinav Ramnarayan)</s>Angela Merkel has reportedly told her party that she is prepared to step down as its leader but remain as German chancellor.

Angela Merkel has reportedly told her party that she is prepared to step down as its leader but remain as German chancellor.

Germany’s Angela Merkel wants to give up party leadership - and says this is her final term as chancellor

News agency dpa cited unidentified party sources in its report as the leadership of Mrs Merkel's party met following a state election in which both her conservative Christian Democratic Union and its partners in the national government, the centre-left Social Democrats, lost significant ground.

Mass-circulation daily Bild reported, citing sources in the CDU leadership, that Mrs Merkel said she would not run again for the party leadership.

Mrs Merkel's predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, stepped down as leader of his party in 2004 but remained chancellor.

Angela Merkel has reportedly told leaders of her conservative party that this will be her final parliamentary term as Germany's chancellor.

The comments came as Mrs Merkel met the leadership of her party following the Hesse state election in which her Christian Democratic Union party lost ground.

It had been widely assumed that this would be Mrs Merkel's final term as chancellor, but before the remarks reported by the dpa news agency she had not offered any confirmation.

Earlier in the meeting, Mrs Merkel had told party members that she would not run again for the party leadership at a conference in December.</s>ANGELA Merkel has announced she will step down as Chancellor of Germany in 2021.

The veteran politician has faced calls from within her own Christian Democratic Party to give up after they were given a drubbing in regional elections.

She will leave the post of party chairman in December but has told party bosses she will cling on as German premier while her successor is chosen.

Her predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, stepped down as leader of his party in 2004 but remained chancellor.

Merkel has led the CDU since 2000 and has been Germany's leader since 2005.

In the past she has firmly stated that Chancellor should also be a party leader but today's events appear to indicate a change of heart.

The CDU haemorrhaged votes, losing more than 11 per cent of its support, with the Greens and far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) making big gains.

Merkel's decision to let in more than a million migrants in 2015 deeply divided the country and helped spark an election backlash.

German politics expert Nina Schick told The Sun: "This fast tracks her exit. It makes me think even more that she's not going to serve the entire term.

"She's not going to do a Margaret Thatcher or Helmut Kohl where you hang on and on. She's preparing to go. There's going to be a vacuum when she leaves."

Ms Shick said the news was "really bad" for French President Emmanuel Macron who has been relying on Merkel's help to reform the shaky eurozone.

But it will have virtually no impact on the Brexit talks except to leave Berlin even "less engaged" on what is already a peripheral topic.

The CDU is due to hold a conference in December at which the party's leadership is up for renewal.

Her party came first in yesterday's election in the western state of Hesse but support fell by more than 11 points.

The embattled 64-year-old is also having to contend with pressure from her Social Democrat (SPD) junior coalition partners, who have bled support in Hesse and are under pressure to rethink their alliance with Merkel.

SPD leader Andrea Nahles, whose party saw support fall to its lowest since 1946, has threatened to end the alliance with the CDU if there is no improvement on policy.

Standing down from the party chair would allow a new CDU chairman or woman to build a profile before the next national election, due in 2021.

Merkel's coalition was twice on the brink of collapse, once over immigration policy and then over a dispute about the fate of the domestic intelligence chief who was accused of harbouring far-right views.

The instability has further eroded the credibility of the conservatives and the SPD in the eyes of Germans.

She currently governs Germany in a "grand coalition" of what traditionally have been the country's biggest parties the CDU, its Bavaria-only sister, the Christian Social Union, and the Social Democrats.

Her fourth-term government took only took office in March but has become notorious for internal squabbling.

Yesterday's election in the central state of Hesse saw both Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union and the centre-left Social Democrats lose significant ground, while there were gains for both the Greens and the far-right Alternative for Germany.

Merkel's party managed an unimpressive win, narrowly salvaging a majority for its regional governing coalition with the Greens.

Angela Merkel was born Angela Kasner in Hamburg in July 1954.

Her father - a Lutheran pastor - was given a parish in a small town in Communist East Germany and the family moved when she was an infant.

After growing up in a rural area outside Berlin and earned a doctorate in physics, she later worked as a chemist at a scientific academy in East Berlin.

She married fellow student Ulrich Merkel in 1977 but divorced four years later.

Merkel met Berlin chemistry professor from Joachim Sauer in 1981 and the couple married privately in 1998. They do not have any children.

When did she announce she is stepping down as German Chancellor and what did she say?

On October 29, Angela Merkel announced she would not seek re-election as Chancellor of Germany in 2021.

She also said that she's known since the summer break that she no longer wanted to be the CDU chairman and that she will not run again for the position in December.

The announcement follows a crushing blow in regional elections in which the party haemorrhaged votes, losing more than 11 per cent of its support, with the Greens and far-right alternative for Germany making big gains.

It's thought voters have punished Merkel over her decision to let in more than a million migrants in 2015 - a move that deeply divided the country.

Merkel told reporters that being Chancellor has been a "very challenging and fulfilling task."

According to CNN, she told reporters: "It is time today for me to start a new chapter.

"This fourth term is my last term as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

"In the next Bundestag election in 2021, I will not run again as Chancellor.

"I will not run for the German Bundestag any more, and I do not want any other political office."



 How long has she been in office?

Angela Merkel has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2005 and the leader of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000.

The 64-year-old outgoing leader has been described in the past as the "de facto leader of the European Union" and the "most powerful woman in the world".

Merkel decision to resign could spark a race within the CDU to find her successor as chancellor, a position which is usually determined in Germany's federal elections.

The next federal elections are provisionally scheduled for 2021.

It's thought that CDU General Secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer could replace Merkel as Chancellor of Germany.
Following a disappointing state election on Sunday, German chancellor Angela Merkel announces that she will not seek re-election as party head at a conference in early December and as German chancellor in 2021.