Germany’s Angela Merkel says she will not seek a fifth term as chancellor in 2021. In an announcement on Monday, Merkel also said she would step down as leader of her conservative Christian Democratic Union, or CDU party, in December. Merkel, who is 64, has served as chancellor since 2005. She has led the CDU since 2000. Her decision to step down as party leader came after the CDU suffered setbacks in local elections in recent weeks. Merkel currently leads Germany as part of a “grand coalition” of the country’s biggest political parties. These include the CDU and its partner in the southern state of Bavaria, the Christian Social Union, or CSU. The center-left Social Democratic Party, or SPD, is also part of the coalition. Her current coalition began its leadership in March after six months of difficult political negotiations.
