Merkel Vows Not To Pick Her Successor As Party Chief

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday she would not handpick her own successor as head of her Christian Democratic Union party when she steps down in December.

Merkel had earlier announced she will quit as German chancellor when her mandate ends in 2021, as she sought to draw a line under a series of political crises that have rocked her fragile coalition.

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

Taking a decisive step towards the end of her political career, the veteran leader who has led Germany for 13 years said she hoped her planned departure would end bitter fighting in her coalition and finally focus it on its task of governing Europe’s biggest economy.