In a speech to mark the opening of the Hannover Messe, the world's largest industrial exhibition, Angela Merkel mentioned that it was her final address as the Chancellor of Germany. The politician said that she had no plans to stand for re-election in September and run for the post of the head of the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
Angela Merkel's upcoming resignation marks the end of the whole era. Notably, she took office as Germany's Chancellor on November 22, 2005, becoming the first woman to take up such a high-level post. Today, she enjoys fairly widespread confidence among the country's residents. Of course, Merkel could seek re-election, but she decided to wind down her political career.
The election race in Germany is already underway. Bavarian State Prime Minister and one of the leaders of the Christian Social Union (CSU) Markus Soeder has recently joined it. He announced his intention to run as a candidate for the Chancellor of Germany. Soeder stressed that he did not plan to stand for office, but numerous requests prompted him to take that step.
In addition, the CDU Presidium threw its weight behind North Rhine-Westphalia's State Premier Armin Laschet, putting his name forward as a single conservative candidate to succeed Angela Merkel.
