Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkelu2019s designated successor unexpectedly threw in the towel on Monday, plunging her conservative party into deeper crisis as it struggles to agree on its future political direction after losing votes to the far right.

Annegret Kramp- Karrenbauer told leading members of the Christian Democratic Union that she wonu2019t be seeking the chancellorship in next yearu2019s election, upending Merkelu2019s plans to hand her the reins after more than 15 years in power. Merkelu2019s spokesman Steffen Seibert said Germanyu2019s long- time leader stood by her decision not to run for a fifth term in 2021, despite the latest development.