Angela Merkel's designated successor says she will not run for the German chancellorship.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer also plans to step down as leader of the CDU.

Angela Merkel has governed Germany for almost 15 years,

But the chancellor is not willing to stay for much longer - saying she will not run for re-election in 2021.

The question over who will succeed her is again challenging the CDU.

Its leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was supposed to run for the job, but has announced she is stepping aside.

That came after CDU members voted alongside the far-right AfD party in a regional election.

The shock move has raised questions over divisions within the party and its effect on Germany's politics.

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Ulrich Brueckner - Political analyst and professor of European studies at Stanford University, Berlin

Hannah Neumann - Member of the European Parliament for the German Greens

Mona El Omari - Activist and project coordinator for the Regional Centre for Education, Integration and Democracy

Source: Al Jazeera News