Reports: Germany’s Merkel Prepares to Give up Party Job

Reports: Germany’s Merkel Prepares to Give up Party Job
German Chancellor and leader of the German Christian Democrats (CDU) Angela Merkel and lead local CDU candidate Volker Bouffier attend a CDU Hesse state election rally in Dieburg, Germany, on Oct. 23, 2018. Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images
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BERLIN—Angela Merkel told her conservative party on Oct. 29, that she intends to step down as its leader but remain Germany’s chancellor following a pair of state election debacles, German media reported.

Merkel had previously indicated that she planned to seek another two-year term as leader of her Christian Democratic Union at a party congress in December, but appeared to be moving quickly to acknowledge pressure for renewal.