BERLIN: German Chancellor and leader of Germany's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Angela Merkel (L) poses with Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, State Premier of the southwestern federal state of Saarland, at the CDU headquarters in Berlin on Monday. — AFP BERLIN, Feb 19 (AFP): The popular female premier of tiny Saarland state is set to take over as secretary general of Angela Merkel's conservative party, sources said Monday, fuelling speculation the chancellor is lining up her potential successor.
Merkel is expected to tap Annegret Kramp-Karren-bauer to take the reins from close ally Peter Tauber, who at the weekend said he was stepping down for health reasons.
The announcement will be made at a meeting of top brass from Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party later on Monday, sources close to the party told AFP.
The move would boost the national profile of Kramp-Karrenbauer, also known as AKK, whose star has been rising in recent months as she played a key role in the tough coalition negotiations with the centre-left Social Democrats.
"And so Merkel and Kramp-Karrenbauer send the first clear signal in the debate about Merkel's succession in four years' time at the latest," the Sueddeutsche Zeitung wrote.
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