Angela Merkel stepping down as chancellor in 2021
- 6 years ago
BERLIN — Looks as if Germany's Angela Merkel is beginning her slow motion auf wiedersehen after announcing that she will step down as chancellor in 2021.
Following a disastrous showing by her center-right Christian Democratic Union party in recent state elections, Merkel dropped the bomb at a news conference in Berlin.
The lame duck, who has been chancellor since 2005, also said she she would be stepping aside as party leader, a position she has held since 2000.
Merkel has long insisted that the chancellor should also be the leader of the ruling party, and that it was dangerous to have too many cooks in the kitchen.
She's suddenly cool with dividing the roles between two people. Who would have guessed?
But how long can one of Europe's most powerful politicians last, now that her coalition government is increasingly unpopular and unstable?
After 13 years at the helm, was this finally a case of the migrant that broke the camel's back?
Who will carry the torch as the global counterweight to Trump-esque nationalists now?
What's clear is that the vultures are circling. Will she even last until 2021?
Following a disastrous showing by her center-right Christian Democratic Union party in recent state elections, Merkel dropped the bomb at a news conference in Berlin.
The lame duck, who has been chancellor since 2005, also said she she would be stepping aside as party leader, a position she has held since 2000.
Merkel has long insisted that the chancellor should also be the leader of the ruling party, and that it was dangerous to have too many cooks in the kitchen.
She's suddenly cool with dividing the roles between two people. Who would have guessed?
But how long can one of Europe's most powerful politicians last, now that her coalition government is increasingly unpopular and unstable?
After 13 years at the helm, was this finally a case of the migrant that broke the camel's back?
Who will carry the torch as the global counterweight to Trump-esque nationalists now?
What's clear is that the vultures are circling. Will she even last until 2021?