German chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will not run for parliament or any other political office upon stepping down from office.
“I will not run again… either for Bundestag legislator or chancellor,’’ she told a news conference on Thursday.
Ms. Merkel added this was true for “any political function.’’
Merkel who admitted it was difficult for her to agree to a fourth term at the helm of the federal government in 2017, added that she had not regretted the decision in the light of the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.
Germans will go to the polls in September to elect a new federal parliament, which will vote on the next chancellor to replace Merkel.
The 66-year-old has held the country’s top job for almost 16 years.
