Angela’s Merkel’s successor has been criticised for lampooning transgender people during a stand-up routine at a carnival.

The 56-year-old, wearing fancy dress, mocked left-wing progressives in Berlin who were promoting gender-neutral bathrooms as the “latte macchiato” faction.

Such toilets were for “men who cannot decide if they want to sit or stand when they pee”, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer said.

Her remarks have provoked a volley of rebuke, including from the deputy mayor of Berlin, Klaus Lederer, who called the footage of her joke a “travesty”.

Political figures caricatured at German carnival Show all 22 1 /22 Political figures caricatured at German carnival Political figures caricatured at German carnival Donald Trump is depicted as a raging bull AP Political figures caricatured at German carnival Prime Minister Theresa May is depicted as piercing the economy with Brexit Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival US president Donald Trump is depicted as an angel flying behind Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman who is wielding a bloody chainsaw Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival Italian Inteior Minister and deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini is depicted as feeding racism and nationalism. He also bears a tattoo of affection for the mafia Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival Chairman of Poland's leading Law and Justice Party (PIS) Jaroslaw Kaczynski is depicted as crucifying liberal Poland Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is depicted running towards the EU for asylum AP Political figures caricatured at German carnival Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is depicted running towards the EU for asylum Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival Planet Earth is depicted as eating plastic waste EPA Political figures caricatured at German carnival The frontside of a float depicting Germany's far-right party Alternative fur Deutschland (AFD)... Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival ...and the backside of the float. Depicting a German nazi AP Political figures caricatured at German carnival US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin are depicted tearing up the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which the US recently pulled out of Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival A Catholic bishop is depicted as sleeping on "the merciless processing of abuse cases" Getty Political figures caricatured at German carnival Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is depicted as being covered in blood Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival Donald Trump is depicted as a raging bull Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival German Chancellor Angela Merkel is depicted as sitting on a knackered horse and holding out a carrot AP Political figures caricatured at German carnival The horse is called "Koalition" in reference to Germany's ruling coalition AFP/Getty Images Political figures caricatured at German carnival The carrot bears the label "AKK", an abbreviation of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Merkel's successor as leader of the Christian Democratic Union Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival A paper mache figure of a priest carrying an attache case reading "let the children come towards me" is seen during the presentation of the floats for the upcoming Rose Monday parade in Mainz, Germany Reuters Political figures caricatured at German carnival German Chancellor Angela Merkel is depicted as a rabbit waiting to be shot by her Interior Minister Horst Seehofer AP Political figures caricatured at German carnival German Chancellor Angela Merkel is depicted as a rabbit waiting to be shot by her Interior Minister Horst Seehofer EPA Political figures caricatured at German carnival German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is depicted as holding a bent gun that he intends to aim at Chancellor Angela Merkel EPA Political figures caricatured at German carnival Andrea Naples, leader of the German Social Democrats (SPD) who are in coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel's party AP

“The chair of the largest party in the Bundestag finds it funny to denounce people who do not correspond to the macho norm,” he tweeted.

The leader of the opposition Left party, Dietmar Bartsch, also condemned Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer.

Her comments were “another reason to fight against this woman becoming chancellor”, he said.

Another politician, Jens Brandenburg from the sometime-coalition partners of the CDU, the Free Democrats, said the chancellor-to-be’s joke was “embarrassing” for Germany.

“Is it so difficult to make a humorous joke without attacking minorities?” he tweeted.

Despite the criticism, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer’s punchline – which was also broadcast live on a public TV station – provoked storms of laughter from her carnival audience.

The politician’s routine came as part of the German tradition of carnival, which hits a peak before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

It is common during the festivities for elaborate floats to poke fun at politicians and for some lawmakers to deliver satirical speeches.

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One CDU MP, Johannes Steiniger, has defended his leader, attacking what he called a “culture of outrage” over a harmless carnival speech.

The carnival joke is not the first time Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer has come under fire over LGBT+ issues.

A lifelong Catholic, she was named “Miss Homophobia 2018” by the Enough Is Enough pro-LGBT+ advocacy group after an online vote.