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The German leader said she "will not stand for re-election as head of CDU party" at the next party conference in December, following a battering at last night's Hesse elections. Embattled Mrs Merkel also confirmed she will also step down as Chancellor of Germany after 2021. Mrs Merkel also ruled out running for a senior position in the European Union after a European parliament election next year. READ MORE: Angela Merkel quits LIVE

Speaking following the announcement, Mrs Merkel described the numbers in Hesse has "disappointing" and "bitter", as she said she would take "full responsibility" for the disastrous results. Mrs Merkel also conceded that the German coalition government had lost credibility and needed to "turn a new page". She said: "The people in the country, and just now in Hesse, see us and also me personally as those who already carry the responsibility , and I, as Chancellor and CDU chairwoman, I do carry the responsibility qua office for everything. For successful things, as well as unsuccessful things READ MORE: Wind of change blowing across Europe and Merkel failed to notice

Angela Merkel has announced she will not stand for re-election as CDU party leader

As chancellor and chair I am responsible for things that worked and things that didn't. Angela Merkel

"The CDU wasn't able to sufficiently convince the citizens. I am in no way blaming the voters. No, the opposite is true, I'm thanking those who still trust us. "I have the firm feeling that today the time has come to open a new chapter." She said the devastarting election results in Hesse and Bavaria were a turning point for the coalition government. Mrs Merkel said: "Firstly, at the next CDU party congress in December in Hamburg, I will not put myself forward again as candidate for the CDU chair." READ MORE: Euro PLUGES as Merkel announces she QUITS

"The naked numbers of the results of the state election in Hesse are incredibly disappointing. They're bitter. For our friends in Hesse as well as for us in the Bund. "And it also doesn't help that this state election, like any other state election, was just that, a state election. Because there is no doubt that our friends in Hesse could have gotten significantly better results if they hadn't been under the negative Federal political influence. "Secondly, this fourth term is my last as German chancellor. At the federal election in 2021, I will not stand again as chancellor candidate, nor as a candidate for the Bundestag, and I won't seek any further political offices." Angela Merkel, 64, has been CDU chairwoman since 2000 and giving up the role will start a race within the party to succeed her as chancellor. Mrs Merkel has been at the helm of Germany for 13 years after becoming the German chancellor in 2005. Speaking in Berlin following the shock announcement, she said it was time to "open a new chapter".

Merkel quits: Angela Merkel speaks following her announcement

The German leader told how she had made the decision to stand down as CDU party leader before summer recess in parliament and had planned her announcement for next week.She said: "I have now been the chairwoman of the CDU in Germany for over 18 years. "A task I have tried to do with passion and dedication. And for almost 13 years I have been federal chancellor of the federal republic Germany. An office, which is a daily honour and challenge to do. "When I publicly announced my first candidacy on the 30 May 2005 right here, I explained it with the fact that I want to serve Germany. To serve Germany and the people is one of the most challenging but also fulfilling task, in these times. And I am very thankful that I have been able to do this for this long. "I once said I wasn't born a chancellor and I never forgot this." Mrs Merkel said her decision was to allow for the CDU to prepare for future success. She said: "With this decision, I am trying to contribute to allowing the government to concentrate its strength, finally, on governing well and people rightly demand that. "At the same time, she said the CDU will be able "to prepare for the time after me."She said Brexit and US-Russia tensions would continue to be the two main issues she focused on as long as she is chancellor. Mrs Merkel declined to back any of the candidates seeking to replace her as party leader of the centre-right CDU at a convention in December. Speaking after a closed-door meeting, Mrs Merkel said: "It's true that Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Jens Spahn both announced their candidacy today." She added she did not want to influence the election of her successor as CDU party leader. Asked whether her announcement not to run for a fifth term as chancellor also applied for a snap election before 2021, Mrs Merkel said she did not want to participate in any further speculation.

Merkel quits: Angela Merkel said she took responsibility for the collation government's failings

It comes as Marcel Dirsus, political scientist, suggested it was the "beginning of the end" for "lame duck" Mrs Merkel. He tweeted: "People have often talked about the beginning of the end of Merkel, but this is truly it. "I doubt that Merkel will stay Chancellor for long once she is no longer Chairman of the party. The race for her succession will accelerate. If she wasn't a lame duck before, she's one now."wqw Standing down from the party chair will allow a new CDU chairman or woman to build a profile before the next national election, due in 2021. Mrs Merkel's favoured successor is CDU party secretary general Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who has announced her bid to become Chancellor today, as well as Bundestag member Jens Spahn. While, former member of the Bundestag, and a former chairman of CDU/CSU parliamentary group Friedrich Merz has also been tipped to replace her.

Merkel quits: Angela Merkel's announcement could signal the end of her career as Chancellor

The German leader was under intense pressure last night following the elections in the western state of Hesse on Sunday, the second electoral setback in as many weeks for Merkel's conservative alliance. Mrs Merkel’s Christian democrats and her SPD coalition actually won the state election in central area of Hesse – but the party massively haemorrhaged support. Her Christian Democrats (CDU) came home first in Sunday's election in the western state of Hesse but support fell by more than 11 points, reigniting a succession debate by conservatives unhappy with the chancellor's grip on power. According to German newspaper Spiegel Online Merkel was planning to run for the chairmanship in December but the party’s hammering in Hesse elections last night has apparently changed her mind. The paper said: “CDU leader Angela Merkel will not stand again for the chairmanship of her party. This she announced after SPIEGEL information in the presidium meeting on Monday morning.

Merkel quits: Angela Merkel has been the CDU party leader since 2000

“According to her original plans, she wanted to compete again at the party congress in Hamburg in December. “Merkel now draws consequences from the downward trend of the CDU, shown at the state election in Hesse.” During the last Hesse election in 2013, CDU polled just 28 percent of the vote – down more than 10 percent from the 38.3 percent. News that Mrs Merkel would not seek the party chair again came as a shock to many CDU officials who believed the party's result in Hesse could have been worse. Prior to the announcement, Mrs Merkel was also contending with pressure from her Social Democrat (SPD) junior coalition partners, who bled support in Hesse and are under pressure to rethink their alliance with the German leader. SPD leader Andrea Nahles, whose party saw support fall to its lowest since 1946, also threatened to end the alliance with Mrs Merkel's conservatives if there is no improvement on policy.

Merkel quits: The CDU suffered a disaster in last night's Hesse elections

The euro fell to session lows on the news. The news will distract her from tending to major challenges at home and abroad - ranging from overcoming a digital deficit and pushing the German car industry toward cleaner mobility to seeing through euro zone reforms and managing Britain's Brexit. Her weakness at home may also limit her capacity to lead in the EU at a time when the bloc is dealing with Brexit, a budget crisis in Italy and the prospect of populist parties making gains at European parliament elections next May. AfD leader Alexander Gauland, said the far right party had contributed to Mrs Merkel's loss of power in the CDU. Mr Gauland said in Berlin: "This has a lot to do with us." Mrs Merkel authority has already been dented this year by the two regional election setbacks and a close ally losing his role as leader of her conservatives' parliamentary group. Mrs Merkel has loomed large on the European stage since 2005, helping guide the EU through the euro zone crisis and opening Germany's doors to migrants fleeing war in the Middle East in 2015 - a move that still divides the bloc and Germany.

Merkel quits: Angela Merkel became CDU party leader in 2000