BERLIN (AP) Chancellor Angela Merkel opened a party convention Friday that will see members choose a new leader of her center-right Christian Democrats, a decision that will help shape German voters’ choice of her successor after 16 years in office.
Merkel, 66, has been looked on by many as a bedrock of stability at the helm of Europe’s largest economy through multiple crises, most recently the coronavirus pandemic, but said two years ago she will not seek a fifth term as chancellor.
In an opening statement, Merkel said that since she was first elected chancellor in 2005 the world had “changed dramatically,” noting the rise of Chinese power and the ubiquity of smart phones. She rattled off a laundry-list of accomplishments including the reduction of unemployment to historic lows, the implementation of a minimum wage, a regularly balanced budget and a drastic increase in the use of renewable energy.