Speculations about the German chancellor’s stepping down have been circulating over recent months after she refused to seek re-election as the leader of her Christian Democratic Union in 2018. Some predicted that Angela Merkel was going to quit earlier than her term ends in 2021 and have suggested that she could continue her career in the EU.
The current CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has invited the Federal Board of her party to an unscheduled behind-closed-doors meeting, the German outlet Die Welt reports. The CDU leadership will allegedly meet on 1 and 2 June after the European elections, scheduled for the end of May. According to the outlet, the closed gathering might be a sign that Kramp-Karrenbauer is aiming for “changes in political Berlin” following the vote and prompted speculations of a government reshuffle or even Chancellor Angela Merkel’s early resignation.