Angela Merkel has said this will be her final term as German chancellor, confirming that she will not run in 2021. Angela Merkel has said this will be her final term as German chancellor, confirming that she will not run in 2021. Her decision to step down as chairwoman comes after her party suffered its second regional election setback in as many weeks. Monday's news came as a surprise to CDU party officials, who had expected Merkel to seek re-election as chairwoman at a party congress in Hamburg in early December. Merkel said CDU party Secretary General Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Health Minister Jens Spahn - a leading critic of the chancellor - had announced they would seek the party chair.

Source: Irish Independent October 29, 2018 12:47 UTC