GERMANY: Germany's Christian Democrat (CDU) leader, Ms Angela Merkel, has announced she will not run as conservative challenger to Mr Gerhard Schröder at next September's general election.Derek Scally reports from Berlin.
The announcement clears the way for the arch-conservative premier of Bavaria, Mr Edmund Stoiber, leader of the smaller Christian Social Union (CSU).
"I always said the candidate for chancellor should be the candidate with the best chance of winning," said a visibly drawn Ms Merkel at a news conference yesterday. After two lacklustre years leading the CDU, she admitted what opinion polls have shown for months: that Mr Stoiber is by far the most popular choice among conservative voters.
With a recession looming and unemployment nearing the politically sensitive four million mark, voters could be wooed by Mr Stoiber's economic success in Bavaria.
An opinion poll yesterday showed the conservatives neck and neck with the Social Democrats.
After months of speculation, Ms Merkel and Mr Stoiber announced last weekend that they both wanted to take on Mr Schröder. But Ms Merkel (47), a former scientist from Eastern Germany, watched her support among leading conservative politicians trickle away in recent days.
She stepped aside rather than wait for a vote of conservative deputies, which would have certainly ended in a humiliating defeat. She said yesterday she would throw her support behind Mr Stoiber for the campaign and called for party unity. However her future as CDU leader beyond September's election is uncertain.
Mr Stoiber (60) has an impressive record in his eight years ruling Bavaria. The state had the second-lowest unemployment rate and highest growth rate last year. Voters may decide he is the man to take the economic measures to put Germany back on track.