Merkel Steps Down as Party Leader as Election Setbacks Take Toll
- German leader makes dramatic concession to her party critics
- Power waning after leading Christian Democrats for 18 years
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Germany’s Angela Merkel will quit as head of her Christian Democratic party and won’t run for another term as chancellor, taking personal responsibility for the decline in support for the governing coalition.
“The image presented by the government is unacceptable,” Merkel said at a press conference in Berlin, a day after her party suffered its latest setback in a regional election. “With this decision, I am trying to do my part to allow the federal government to function well again.”