Merkel critic is new party leader of chancellor’s coalition partners
A FORMER party rebel was elected as the leader of Germany’s Social Democrats yesterday, presenting a further challenge to Angela Merkel over the European Union.
Andrea Nahles, 47, a career politician, became the SPD’S first female head in its 155-year history.
She is tasked with spearheading a rejuvenation of the party’s workingclass support base after it suffered embarrassing low results in the September 2017 election. Ms Nahles has also been critical of Mrs Merkel’s position on eurozone reform, accusing the German chancellor of breaking the terms of her CDU party’s coalition with the SPD.
Referring to the rebuilding of the SPD, Ms Nahles told delegates at the congress where the vote took place in the western city of Wiesbaden: “We will succeed...that is my promise.”
If this is Mrs Merkel’s final term in office, as expected, the new SPD leader could be poised to make a future bid to run Germany.