Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer’s resignation upends German politics

GERMAN POLITICS is in disarray after the sudden announcement that Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, leader of the ruling centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), intends to resign. On February 10th Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer said she would quit her role as party chairwoman and not seek the CDU’s nomination to be chancellor-candidate at the next general election, due in autumn 2021. In 2018 Angela Merkel had vacated the CDU leadership for Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer, hoping to give her an orderly transition to the chancellery. But a series of gaffes throughout 2019 had left Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer looking vulnerable. Now a fiasco in the small east German state of Thuringia has tipped her over the edge.

Last October an election in the state had delivered a majority of seats to parties of the hard left and right, making it difficult to form a coalition. Amid complicated parliamentary manoeuvring, on February 5th Thomas Kemmerich, leader of a small liberal party, was elected state premier with votes from the CDU and the nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD). No state leader had ever relied on AfD support to take office, and there was an immediate backlash in Berlin. Mrs Merkel declared the result “unforgivable” and demanded Thuringia hold new elections. The Social Democrats (SPD), the CDU’s partner in national government, hinted it might walk out of the coalition. Thousands demonstrated, in Berlin and elsewhere, chanting anti-fascist slogans.