Merkel pick AKK set to succeed her
Hamburg, Dec. 8: The victory in a party leadership battle of a close ally of Angela Merkel greatly boosts her chances of seeing out her fourth term, but 2019 will bring new threats for the world’s most powerful woman.
As the centre- right Christian Democratic Union ( CDU) wrapped up a conference in Hamburg Saturday, Merkel, 64, could celebrate that her handpicked deputy party leader Annegret KrampKarrenbauer, known as AKK, won the race to succeed her after 18 years at the helm.
The career politician dubbed “mini Merkel” by the media is now in pole position to lead Germany’s biggest party into the next general election, set for 2021.
She would then have a strong chance of replacing the chancellor when Merkel leaves the stage for good. The CDU’s choice marked a vote for relative political stability in Europe as British Prime Minister Theresa May faces Brexit turmoil and French President Emmanuel Macron’s government is rocked by violent street protests.
Merkel made the surprise decision in October not to stand again for the CDU leadership following a string of poll setbacks.
“I don’t see her as weakened at all — on the contrary, she can continue to govern as a powerful chancellor,” Matthias Middelberg, a CDU delegate from Hanover, said of Merkel, who was this week again crowned the world’s most powerful woman by Forbes magazine.
“And now she can count on a party leader she can work well with.”