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The firm favourite appears to be from Merkel’s own Christian Democrats Party (CDU) – its secretary-general Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

Kramp-Karrenbauer has been a close ally of her embattled leader, who faced a disastrous result at the ballot box recently.

Today, CDU sources said Kramp-Karrenbauer said she will put herself forward for the top job at the party’s conference in Hamburg in December.

Born in 1962, Merkel’s potential successor has been dubbed “AKK” in the German media and became the first woman ever to govern the German state of Saarland.

She is viewed as more of a centrist on the political spectrum and has opposed Merkel on issues previously.

In 2015, she sparked a huge controversy when she suggested gay marriage is a gateway to siblings getting married and the court recognising relationships with more than two people involved.

Merkel announced this morning that she will not seek re-election as Chancellor in the next General Election or as party chairwoman in December this year.

Her party is still reeling from catastrophic election losses, with her coalition partner, the centre-left SPD party, warning it might quit the government after another hammering in a regional election.

(Image: GETTY)

(Image: GETTY) (Image: GETTY)

The SPD got just 19.8% of the vote in the region of Hesse on Sunday compared to 30.7% five years ago.

She has faced intense criticisms from German voters over her migrant policy that saw over a million people flood into the country in just 12 months.

Support for the far-right AfD party has surged, with them gaining 13.2% of the vote – meaning they are now entering regional parliaments in all 16 German states.