The Washington Post/Rick Noack: German Chancellor Angela Merkel is ready to hand over leadership of her Christian Democratic Party, German media reports say

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel ready to step down from party leadership

German Chancellor Angela Merkel listens to a question during a press conference after talks with Czech Republic's Prime Minister Andrej Babis in Prague, Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. (Petr David Josek/AP)
By Rick Noack
October 29 at 6:01 AM

BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Monday that she was ready to hand over the leadership of her Christian Democratic Party (CDU) later this year, according to German media reports citing sources close to her.

Merkel has been CDU chairwoman since 2000 and while her departure would not automatically result in her stepping down as German chancellor, the move is an acknowledgment of her increasingly volatile position.

Merkel herself has said in the past that the chancellor should also be the leader of the ruling party. But according to German public radio, Merkel wants to stay on even after handing over the party leadership.

The announcement comes one day after her party suffered massive losses during regional elections in the state of Hesse, that has long been a bellwether for the nation. The election for the state parliament in Hesse — home of Frankfurt, the heart of German finance — gave Merkel’s center-right CDU 27 percent of the vote, according to projections based on partial returns Sunday night.

That was good enough for first place, but down 11 percent since the state last voted, in 2013, and represents the party’s worst performance there in more than half a century. The party’s state leader, Volker Bouffier, called the outcome “very humbling.”

Backing for Merkel’s coalition partner, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), also plummeted, falling from 31 percent to 20 percent — a low not seen in 72 years. The Social Democrats’ weak performance in regional elections this year in Hesse and Bavaria has added pressure on their national leadership to force Merkel into more concessions.

 Griff Witte and Luisa Beck contributed to this report. 

Read more:

Merkel’s troubles mount as her party stumbles in German regional elections

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Rick Noack
Rick Noack is a foreign affairs reporter who covers Europe and international security issues from The Washington Post's Berlin bureau. Previously, he worked for The Post from Washington as an Arthur F. Burns Fellow and from London. Follow
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